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Posted on 05/07/2008 4:20:17 PM PDT by fight_truth_decay
A fire aboard the number 842 bus in Shanghai’s Yangpu district during morning rush hour May 5 killed three people and injured a dozen more. The bus, operated by the Dazhong Transportation (Group) Co., caught fire around 9:15 a.m. local time near Huangxing Road and Guoshun Road. Publicly, security officials say the fire was an accident caused by a mechanical problem. However, security officials have privately said that an individual came on board the bus carrying flammable materials. There is strong suspicion that the fire was the result of an intentional act, perhaps related to someone frustrated with losses on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
For several months, China has been stepping up security for transportation infrastructure in anticipation of the Beijing Olympics in August. But several recent incidents have reiterated the vulnerability of China’s transportation infrastructure, not only to potential terrorist or criminal attacks, but also to accidents stemming from negligence and corruption. While regulations and security procedures are being tightened, the potential for attacks on trains, buses and aircraft remains a risk for both business travelers and tourists.
(Excerpt) Read more at stratfor.com ...
"Around November 2006", reported Stratfor, a video called for a jihad in “East Turkistan” (the name for Xinjiang) began to circulate. However, The JAWA Report, September 05, 2005, told of a: "suicide bomber blowing up a bus in China (images and story here). "While that act of terrorism was probably unrelated to the jihad being waged against Beijing, it did spur me to look into the matter, wrote: Dr. Rusty "John Doe" Shackleford of JAWA. "Days after the bombing, an old video was posted at a forum made by terrorists linked to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda who operate in China's East Turkistan (known as Xinjiang in Chinese) region. The video was apparently produced in Afghanistan, which borders East Turkistan, and was a call to arms against the Communist regime. The video was almost identical to a number of al Qaeda videos made around the same time".
In July 2007, three Chinese engineers were killed near Peshawar, Pakistan, and a suicide car bomb struck a convoy of Chinese workers near Karachi. Peshawar-weekly reported: Bombers target Chinese, police, military, 51 killed.
March 17, 2008: (FreeRepublic) Turdi Guzalinur, a suspected Uighur militant from Xinjiang, smuggled two containers of gasoline aboard China Southern Airlines flight CZ6901 from Urumchi to Beijing but failed in her attempt to destroy the plane in flight. There are many more examples of sabotage and attacks against the transportation infrastructure in China, and even more that go unreported internationally.
"An emerging murmur," reports Stratfor, "is urging attacks against the Olympics, China’s increased crackdowns in Xinjiang and calls for security sweeps by its Central Asian neighbors and Pakistan, the pressure is, therefore, mounting for militants to strike against China. Transportation is where both the Uighur militants and al Qaeda have a commonality of historical interest. Despite increased security protocols and patrols, it is nearly impossible for China to both maintain impenetrable security for its transportation infrastructure and facilitate the movement of goods and people....completely securing public transportation is an extremely difficult, if not impossible, job."
"The March 17 airline incident, the March 5 bus hijacking and potentially the May 5 bus fire in Shanghai show, attacks against transportation are possible even in a heightened security environment. As China tightens its grip over Xinjiang, another flare-up in attacks is likely to result," concludes Rodger Baker in the May 6-7, 2008 Stratfor Report.
Two percent of China's population is Muslim; a deceptively small statistic until one realizes the reference is to a country with a population of 1.2 billion, leading to a total of 24 million.
Chinese security officials have said a passenger brought flammable material aboard the bus, contributing to the fire.
Beijing News reported today that Shanghai police are looking for the owner of a knitted handbag, which is believed to have started the blast.
The manually stitched bag, which was put two rows behind the driver's seat, suddenly "self-ignited," Liu Kai, a passenger on the bus now being treated at Changhai Hospital, reportedly said.
BUS drivers have been required to pay close attention to items passengers carry and safety hammers are being installed on buses in the wake of a deadly fire that killed three people in Shanghai on Monday.
The transport authority has worked out detailed plans to improve supervision of dubious passengers and carry-on items. This includes teams of security observers patrolling major bus terminals such as the one at People's Square.
Drivers were told to cease operation of the bus and alert police immediately if a passenger refuses to cooperate. http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/?id=358655
What I remember the most was the story (during the 90’s) of that People’s Armed Police guy who went nuts after his wife died during a forced abortion. During his rampage, he killed about a dozen cops before being taken down.
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