FBI warns of terrorist attacks in Asia, China
FBI warns of terrorist attacks in Asia, China
Agence France-Presse, Beijing
Asia must be vigilant against terrorist attacks, U.S. Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) chief Robert Mueller said on
Wednesday, and warned Beijing that Islamic fundamentalists in
China were also a threat.
"Just because you have not seen substantial terrorist attacks in
China does not mean there could not be in the future or in other
countries in Asia," Mueller told journalists in Beijing.
Terrorists were "individuals who may subscribe to a greater or
lesser degree to extremist Islamic fundamentalism," he said,
including al-Qaeda, the group behind the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks in the United States in 2001.
"There are certainly individuals in China who could be
described as having that same mindset as well as a desire to
utilize terrorist acts to further their agenda whether you call
it al-Qaeda or a group losely affiliated with al-Qaeda or al-
Qaeda's leadership," he said.
During his three-day visit, Mueller sought to expand
cooperation with China's Ministry of Public Security and its
secretive Ministry of State Security to build a global anti-
terrorism network.
He refused to comment on whether he specifically discussed
with his Chinese counterparts Muslim groups in China's
westernmost Xinjiang region, or a recent demand by Beijing for
Washington to list several groups linked to a Xinjiang
independence movement as international terrorist groups.
"Al-Qaeda, or al-Qaeda-affiliated groups, are spread
throughout the world at this point," Mueller said.
"They might not be tightly tied to al-Qaeda, but they may
nonetheless share al-Qaeda's world view and the desire to kill
Americans, or Chinese, or Australians or others.
"Our view is that there is a threat and continuing threat and
we will do all within our power, including with our counterparts
overseas, to address and eradicate that threat."
Mueller further said that the al-Qaeda-linked groups of Jamaah
Islamiyah (JI) in Indonesia, which was responsible for the
October 2002 Bali bombing that killed 202, and the Philippine-
based Abu Sayyaf group were other examples of religious extremism
in Asia.
"We all have to be vigilant in this day and age," Mueller
said.
"I don't think Indonesia, prior to the attacks in Bali,
understood fully the threat to the tourist industry in Bali that
could be undercut by the attack that did occur."