A Uighur separatist group has taken credit for a deadly bus bombing in Shanghai in May and warned of new attacks in China during the Olympics, a group monitoring threats by extremists on the Internet said late on Friday.
In a video statement, Commander Seyfullah of the Turkestan Islamic Party claimed credit for several attacks, including the May 5 Shanghai bus bombing that killed three; another Shanghai attack; an attack on police in Wenzhou on July 17 using an explosive-laden tractor; a bombing of a Guangzhou plastic factory on July 17; and bombings of three buses in Yunnan Province on Thursday.
Three people were killed as a result of the explosion on the crowded bus in Shanghai on May 5, police and witnesses said.
Seyfullah said the blast was the work of his group and warned of more explosions to come.
“Through this blessed jihad in Yunnan this time, the Turkestan Islamic Party warns China one more time,” Seyfullah said in the video dated Wednesday, a transcript from the US-based Intel Center said.
“Our aim is to target the most critical points related to the Olympics. We will try to attack Chinese central cities severely using the tactics that have never been employed,” he said.
Later yesterday, Chinese authorities denied the claims by the Uighur separatist group that it was behind deadly bus bombings in two cities, state media reported.
A public security official in Yunnan Province said no evidence had been found linking the attacks with terrorism, Xinhua news agency said.
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