Beijing Olympic Terrorist Plot

Guide Note

On April 10, 2008, China's Ministry of Public Security reported that it had apprehended suspected terrorists in Xinjiang Province, a region in western China which is predominantly Muslim. Government forces raided two groups suspected of plotting a series of kidnappings during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Fast Facts

1. China's Public Security Ministry spokesman: Wu Heping
2. Police say they confiscated 22 pounds of explosives and 8 sticks of dynamite¹
3. Police claim to have found "Jihadist" literature¹
4. Incident highlights China's commitment to limiting any terrorist threat to the Olympics
5. International agencies skeptical of the Chinese government's claims that all the suspects were terrorists²

The Ministry of Public Security claims that between March 26 and April 6, 2008, suspects were captured in raids within Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang Province. The suspects were allegedly plotting to kidnap athletes, journalists and tourists during the Beijing Olympics.

The majority of Xinjiang's population are Muslim descendants of the Turkic Uighurs.³ The Chinese government claims that the region harbors violent Islamic terrorists, some of whom are linked to Al Qaeda.²

Amnesty International and other human rights groups have questioned China's claims about the terrorist presence in Xinjiang. Amnesty International says that Beijing may be using claims of terrorism to repress regional movements toward independence.⁴