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The United States and Britain issued new travel alerts warning of an increased terrorist threat in China Friday, as Interpol said Beijing must prepare for a possible Al-Qaeda attack at the Olympics.
The US State Department warned Americans travelling to the Asian country of a "heightened risk that extremist groups will conduct terrorist acts within China in the near future."
It said any large-scale public event, such as the Olympic Games in Beijing in August, "may present an attractive target for terrorists," and warned its citizens travelling in China to be alert.
The statement updated March travel advice which said the threat of terrorism against Americans in China "remains low."
It was issued as Britain also upgraded its terror assessment for China, where it had previously said the risk was "low."
"There is an underlying threat from terrorism in China," the Foreign Office said on its travel advice web site, although it said it was not discouraging travel there.
The change "reflects both the global risk of indiscriminate terrorist attacks and the possibility of terrorist attacks by groups opposed to the Chinese government," it said.
"Particularly in the run-up to the Olympic Games, attacks cannot be ruled out, particularly in major urban areas. They could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers," it added.
Earlier Friday, Interpol chief Ronald Noble warned China must be prepared for a possible Al-Qaeda attack on the Beijing Olympics, as well as potentially violent disruption from pro-Tibet protestors.
"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," he told an international conference on security for the Games in Beijing, according to a copy of his speech.
The police chief said a worldwide television audience of billions and a massive influx of foreign visitors could provide "easy cover for terrorists and ensure any attack during the Olympics would have an immediate global impact."
China's Minister of Public Security Meng Jianzhu backed his remarks, telling the conference, according to a translation of his speech: "There is no doubt that the biggest threat facing the Beijing Olympics is terrorism."
Noble told delegates the security "situation has clearly changed" since September 2007, when Interpol reported it had no specific information from its 186 member countries on direct terrorist threats to the Beijing Olympics.
He added that the wave of protests over China's crackdown in Tibet during the global Olympic torch relay had "introduced significant additional complications to the normal security considerations" for the Games.
All countries participating in the sporting events must be prepared for violent protests during the Games, he said.
The US State Department said Chinese authorities have increased security in the country's airports in recent months in light of the security concerns.
"For example, Chinese airport authorities recently implemented tighter restrictions on taking liquids, aerosols, or gels aboard flights in carry-on baggage," it said.
