China cites East Turkistan Islamic movement terrorist threat

China said that East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) has been the most direct and real threat to the country's security, Chinese news agency (Xinhua) reported on Friday. "The ETIM has incited, organized and committed terrorist attacks of various forms in China over the years and spread the ideas of violence and terrorism. "It has been the most direct and real threat to our security, and has damaged the security of other countries and regions," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying was quoted as saying at a press briefing in Beijing. Hua was responding to a question regarding comments by China's top security chief Meng Jianzhu on Monday's terrorist attack in Beijing's Tian'anmen Square. Last Thursday, Meng, chief of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the Communist Party of China Central Committee said many countries, including China, were currently under threat amid rising global terrorist activities and China was determined to fight against violence and terrorist crimes. "The ETIM, based in South, Central and West Asia, is a terrorist group identified by the United Nations. It has connections with many other terrorist groups," Hua said. "The terrorist attack in Tian'anmen Square shows that terrorist forces were plotting in all sorts of ways to undermine development of SCO member countries, " Hua added. Last Wednesday, police identified the crash in Tian'anman Square as a terrorist attack, in which three people in the vehicle and two tourists were killed and 38 others were injured. According to Beijing police, the attack was "carefully planned, organized and premeditated." Five suspects in connection with the attack have been detained