July 15, 2009
Al-Qaeda vows revenge on China after riots
by Jane Macartney
The Times Online
Al-Qaeda has issued its first threat against China with a vow to attack Chinese workers in North Africa in retaliation for Beijing's treatment of Muslim Uighurs.
The threat, issued by the Algeria-based al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), highlights the risks faced by China as it expands its economic investments overseas.
"Although AQIM appear to be the first arm of al-Qaeda to officially state they will target Chinese interests, others are likely to follow," an intelligence report from Stirling Assynt, a London-based risk analysis firm, says.
The warning followed deadly unrest in China's westernmost region of Xinjiang last week, when 184 people died and 1,680 were injured -- most of them Han Chinese killed by Uighurs.
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