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Report: Suspects emerging in bus bombing caseThursday, 31st July 2008 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (0)According to the report, a man surnamed Wang who has a shop near the Daguan Tower in west Kunming said police came to his store and asked if he could identify a young man in a photograph. After telling police he had never seen the man before, the police told Mr Wang to immediately contact the authorities should he happen to see the man from the photograph. Wang told Dushi Shibao that after the police finished talking with him, they made stops at all the residences in his immediate vicinity, showing the photo to residents and questioning them. According to the Dushi Shibao report, they have learned from undisclosed sources that there are currently several suspects in the bombing case, one of them being the man in the photo. Both the Yunnan and Kunming Public Security Bureaus have yet to release any photographs of suspects connected to the case. Tags: 7.21 bus explosions, crime, Dushi Shibao, police Kunming jittery after another bus incident, angry passengers clash with police at airportTuesday, 29th July 2008 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (1)Local media is reporting that "another abnormal incident occurred" Monday night at 8:40 – once again on Renmin Xi Lu – near the intersection of Haiyuan Lu. At a press conference this morning, Kunming police spokesman Liu Zheng said the incident was a tire blowout. According to local reports, the bus in question was driven away shortly after police and ambulances arrived at 8:50. Some people at the scene said they thought there was an explosion on the bus, while others said a tire had exploded. Unlike last week's explosions, which shattered all the windows on the two buses that were attacked, last night's bus in question reportedly had no broken windows, with only an oil stain on the road left behind after it left the scene. Last Wednesday, a video purportedly released by the Turkestan Islamic Party claimed responsibility for the July 21 bus attacks in Kunming, saying further attacks would take place throughout China, aimed at stopping the Olympics. A spokesman for the Yunnan Public Security Bureau said no connection had been found between the bus attacks and terrorist organizations. Despite any evidence that last night's incident was a deliberate man-made explosion, bars, restaurants and entertainment venues were on high alert and searching customer bags thoroughly. In what may or may not be a related event, three China Southern flights – two to Guiyang and one to Changsha – were delayed at 9:40 Monday night at Kunming Wujiaba International Airport for "weather reasons". The passengers, numbering more than 170, were not provided with food or lodging by China Southern, and slept in the departure hall or elsewhere at the airport after some took taxis to a hotel China Southern told them they had prepared for them, only to be turned away by the hotel at 2 am Tuesday morning. This morning, several of the passengers clashed with airport police, smashing computers, desks and other items. Related articles: Two dead, 14 injured in Kunming bus explosions Kunming on high alert after double bus bombing Investigation into bomb attacks continues, injured recovering Kunming bus attacks: Police triple reward as new clue emerges Official: Uighur group not responsible for Kunming bus attacks Tags: 7.21 bus explosions, China Southern, crime, Kunming Wujiaba International Airport, terrorism, traffic, transportation Official: Uighur group not responsible for Kunming bus attacksSaturday, 26th July 2008 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (5)In addition to the Kunming bus attacks, the group is also claiming to be behind a May 5 bus explosion in Shanghai. The video also states that the ETIM-linked group is planning more attacks on China during the Olympics, which begin on August 8 and will be held in seven Chinese cities, including Beijing. ETIM is officially considered a terrorist organization by China, the US, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and the United Nations. ETIM's primary goal is to split Xinjiang – known as East Turkestan prior to annexation by China in 1955 – from the mainland. Xinjiang is the homeland of the Uighur ethnic group, a Turkic people which is predominantly Muslim. In the video – a copy of which has been posted on YouTube – two masked and armed men stand behind a masked man calling himself Commander Seyfullah of the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP), which US-based private intelligence service Stratfor says is another name used by ETIM. The video includes scenes of the aftermath of the Kunming bus attacks plus other bus attacks. In the first official response to the video, a Yunnan official said no link between terrorism and the bus attacks has been found so far. Five days after bus bombings in Kunming that killed two and injured 14, police have yet to announce any major clues in the case. "We have noticed media reports about the claims, but so far, no evidence has been found to indicate the explosions were connected with terrorists and their attacks, or with the Beijing Olympics," a Yunnan Public Security Bureau spokesman told Xinhua, according to a Reuters report. Stratfor notes that this year TIP has begun to make noise on the Internet, with videos featuring calls for a Uighur jihad against China, training scenes, executions of at least three Han Chinese, and profiles of the group and its former leader Hasan Mahsum, who was killed in Pakistan in 2003. ETIM fractured after Mahsum's death and many of its members relocated to Afghanistan. After 2003, ETIM has been linked to Uzbek and other foreign militants operating around the border area shared by Afghanistan and Pakistan. More recently, TIP has been releasing a growing number videos, most notably an April 2008 video in which it warned China it would attack the Olympics, according to Stratfor. TIP's leader is believed to be a man named Abdul Haq, who worked with Mahzum to train Uighur militants in Afghanistan in 2001 and has ordered attacks on central China. According to a transcript released by US-based IntelCenter, Commander Seyfullah states in the video – which is dated July 23rd – that: "Our damullah, Abdul Heq [Haq], made his final order to the [person] responsible for the military regarding the issue of severely attacking all central cities in inner China, particularly focusing on eight cities that are going to hold Olympic games. ... ask our merciful Allah to allow these brothers and sisters [suicide bombers] to deal a fatal blow in this jihad against Chinese and we ask our merciful Allah to completely stop Olympic Games. ... Bomb Chinese government buildings, military barracks, airplanes, airports, railways, hotels, entertainment venues, tourist spots and similar places...You're even permitted to use biological weapons this time." While ETIM/TIP are considered to have the operational capacity to strike mainland China outside of Xinjiang, analysts are skeptical of TIP's claims to be behind the Kunming and Shanghai attacks, with some suggesting an attempt by a group – which may or may not be TIP – to increase China's terrorism jitters before the Olympics by claiming responsibility for unrelated incidents around the country this year. Related articles: Two dead, 14 injured in Kunming bus explosions Kunming on high alert after double bus bombing Investigation into bomb attacks continues, injured recovering Kunming bus attacks: Police triple reward as new clue emerges Tags: 7.21 bus explosions, Abdul Haq, Afghanistan, Commander Seyfullah, crime, ETIM, IntelCenter, Olympics, Stratfor, terrorism, TIP, Uighurs, Xinjiang Kunming bus attacks: Police triple reward as a new clue emergesThursday, 24th July 2008 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Still searching for a major breakthrough in Monday's bus bombings on Renmin Xi Lu which left two dead and 14 injured, Kunming police have tripled the reward for clues leading to the arrest of the individual or individuals behind the attacks. According to Kunming media reports, the biggest lead in the case that's been made public so far is that an individual suspected of involvement in the blasts was seen on the first bus to explode at 7:05 am on Monday carrying a bag with the Longsheng Pu'er Tea (龙生普洱茶) logo on it – see image above. Kunming police have stated that the identity of anyone providing clues related to the bus bombing case will be kept strictly confidential. Anyone with information related to the case can call 110, stop by the police station at 76 Renmin Zhong Lu or call the station at 3387940 or 3623404. Meanwhile, with Beijing less than three weeks away from the opening of the Olympics, officials are addressing reporter questions about bus security in China's capital. "We have already taken measures and we will increase security. I hope that all people can support us," Liu Shaowu, Beijing Olympic security director, told reporters, according to a Reuters report. "We need to step up security measures in all areas for the safety of the bus system," he said. Tags: 7.21 bus explosions, Beijing, crime, Olympics Investigation into bomb attacks continues, injured recoveringTuesday, 22nd July 2008 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (5)
In the wake of yesterday's bomb attacks on two buses on Renmin Xi Lu, some new bits of information are trickling out through local media. Here are some of the latest developments: Bomb material identified A criminal investigation unit dispatched from Beijing arrived in Kunming yesterday afternoon. By 7:45 pm all on-site investigation for both explosions had basically concluded, with traffic returning to normal. Investigators have identified the explosive in both explosions as ammonium nitrate, a common fertilizer that is often used in homemade bombs. Mysterious text message As early as 5:00 am on Monday, some Kunming residents received what is being treated by police as possibly being a text message warning from the bomber(s), which reads: "I hope the city residents who receive this text message don't take the 54, 64 or 84 buses…" (希望收到此短信的市民,不要在明天早上乘坐54、64、及84路工[sic]交车……). The sender, whose number displayed as anonymous, referred to him/herself as "the mobilizer of nobodies" (蝼蚁总动员). Police have confirmed that numerous people received this message the morning of the explosions. Most injured recovering Thirteen of the 14 injured in yesterday's explosion are in stable condition, with one victim, a woman, still in the intensive care unit at Kunming First Affiliated Hospital in critical condition. One of the injured is a pregnant woman who herself is fine but her fetus is still undergoing tests. Most of the injured suffered at least one broken eardrum and some skin damage. Police offer reward Kunming police are offering a reward of 100,000 yuan (US$14,660) reward to anyone who has clues which lead to the arrest of the bomber(s). Anyone with information related to the case can call 110, stop by the police station at 76 Renmin Zhong Lu or call the station at 3387940 or 3623404. Update: The New York Times is reporting the first mentions of a possible suspect: "Witnesses on one bus told Chinese newspapers that a short man in a black shirt and gray pants boarded the bus before the explosion and sat behind the driver. After the bus stopped and then prepared to get going again, the man jumped up and yelled for the driver to let him off, the witnesses said. "Witnesses told a joint reporting team from the Yunnan Information Daily and the Southern Newspaper Group that the man had left a black leather bag on the bus. About 30 seconds later, the bus exploded. Witnesses on the second bus told Chinese journalists they had also seen a black bag." Update: Kunming vice mayor Du Min has been quoted by Xinhua as saying that there was no text message prior to Monday's explosions, according to a Reuters report. "In fact, there was no such message," Xinhua news agency quoted Du as saying on Tuesday, according to Reuters. Image: clzg.cn Related articles: Two dead, 14 injured in Kunming bus explosions Kunming on high alert after double bus bombing Tags: 7.21 bus explosions, ammonium nitrate, crime Monday afternoon the Kunming Municipal Public Security Bureau (PSB) held its first press conference addressing the bus explosions that have sent ripples of shock and anxiety through what is normally one of China's most laid-back cities. According to GoKunming sources at the press conference, there are officially two dead as a result of the blasts, with 14 reported injured. The dead passengers have been identified as Wang Dezhi (王德芝) a 30-year-old woman from the city of Mouding in Yunnan's Chuxiong prefecture. Chen Shifei (陈仕飞), a 26-year-old man from the town of Dayan in Yunnan's Lijiang prefecture, was the morning's other fatality. Chen was a student at the Lijiang Education Institute. Liu Zhen, Director of News and Propaganda for the Kunming PSB, described the explosions as completely unexpected and that there was slightly more damage done in the first explosion, which took place just after 7:00 am at the Panjiawan stop on Renmin Xi Lu than the second explosion which occurred approximately an hour later at Renmin Xi Lu and Changyuan Lu. Liu said that all the windows of both buses had been shattered by their respective explosions and the bus interiors both sustained significant damage. However, due to the limited range of the explosions, the effect of the explosions on people outside the buses was minor. Currently Renmin Xi Lu and surrounding side roads are under police surveillance. The number of passengers on buses throughout the city has dropped noticeably, and it's more difficult than usual to get a taxi. At present, Yunnan's provincial transportation, rail, aviation and security organs are on heightened alert, with increased street patrols on major roads and security checks at some locations aimed at finding the perpetrators behind the explosions. Border police have also been alerted at all of Yunnan's border crossings and airports. Related article: Two dead, 14 injured in Kunming bus explosions Tags: 7.21 bus explosions, crime |
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