'Deadly attack at Olympics'

2008-04-25 16:16

Lyon - The head of Interpol warned on Friday that China had to be prepared for a possible al-Qaeda attack on the Beijing Olympics, according to a copy of a speech delivered in the Olympic host city.

Interpol chief Ronald Noble told an international conference on security for the Games in Beijing: "We must be prepared for the possibility that al-Qaeda or some other terrorist group will attempt to launch a deadly terrorist attack at these Olympics.

"Unfortunately, an attempted act of terrorism is a real possibility and a real concern that all Olympic host countries have shared in recent years," the head of the French-based international police organisation told the gathering.

Numerous failed plots

Noble said the security "situation has clearly changed" since September 2007, when Interpol reported that it had no specific information from police in its 186 member countries on direct terrorist threats to the Beijing Olympics.

Noble cited Chinese media reports on numerous failed plots to disrupt the Games which have been linked to separatist groups.

"These attempted plots have included bringing down an airliner; attacking hotels, government offices and military targets in Beijing and other cities with poison, poison gas and remotely controlled bombs; carrying out suicide bombings; and kidnapping foreign athletes, spectators and journalists."

The Interpol chief pointed to the arrest in Indonesia in December of several suspected al-Qaeda members believed to have been plotting an attack during the Games, and who were reportedly in possession of a map of Beijing and data on various sports venues.

- AFP