One Killed in Bombing of McDonald's in China

The Institute for counter Terrorism ^ | Dec.15/01

[kanawa]

One person was killed, and as many as thirty injured Saturday, when a bomb ripped through a crowded McDonald's restaurant in western China. Officials quoted by the local press called the blast "intentional sabotage." The blast in the city of Xi'an left two people in critical condition, hospital officials said, while a number of others had burst eardrums and eye injuries.

The lone fatality was reportedly the bomber, although it was unclear whether the explosion occurred prematurely or was intended as a suicide attack. According to police, the bomber was from the city of Chongqing, capital of Szechuan Province, about 500 kilometers to the south.

Bombings in China are usually motivated by revenge China has seen a wave of bombings in recent months, though the vast majority have been blamed on disgruntled workers or jilted lovers.

On Friday, a series of blasts occurred in two cities in the southern province of Guangdong. Reuters quoted the Beijing Morning Post as saying that several bombs exploded in Zhangjiang city, in "Xiashan, Chikan, Kaifaqu and other areas of the city." Zhangjiang is about 350 kilometers west of Hong Kong. What the targets were was not mentioned.

On the same morning, three separate bombings occurred in residential districts in Jiangmen, some 220 kilometers northeast of Zhangjiang, the Beijing Youth Daily said. Two of the blasts occurred about 100 meters apart, blowing out windows in eighth-floor and third-floor residential apartments along the city's Shuinan Road, the paper said.

Police said the explosions in Jiangmen were the work of an individual bent on avenging himself on relatives and rival businessmen. At least two people were killed in these explosions, including the bomber, and six injured. It was unclear whether the explosions in Zhangjiang were related to the ones in Jiangmen.

In March, a series of near-simultaneous bombings of residential bombings in Shijiazhuang left 108 people dead and hundreds injured. One man was convicted and executed for setting off the crude fertilizer bombs, but it was never proven conclusively that he had acted alone.

In July a man seeking revenge set off a cache of illegally-stored explosives in northern Shaanxi province, killing some 70 people.

Officials blame the rise in revenge bombings on the fact that crude explosives are easily acquired on the black market. After the recent blasts, police throughout China were ordered to crack down on the illegal manufacture of explosives.

McDonald's bombing could have political motive There were no claims of responsibility for the Saturday's bombing of the McDonald's restaurant, and officials declined to say whether it was politically motivated. Xi'an is an ancient Chinese captial, and is the site of China's famed terracotta warriors, which each year brings in thousands of tourists.

However, the city also has a large ethnic Uighur population. The Uighur, a Turkic people who claim descent from Genghis Khan, speak a Turkic language and follow the Muslim religion. Once citizens of an independent "Republic of Eastern Turkistan," the Uighurs sit uneasily under Chinese rule. Uighur separatists are fighting for a separate state in the Uighur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang.

Chinese authorities have blamed the Uighur for a series of bombings in western China and in Beijing. In 1997, at least nine people were killed in three separate blasts aboard buses in Xinjiang, while an explosion on a bus in Wuhan in 1998 killed at least 16 and injured more than 30. Officials said at the time that a series of bomb attacks had been planned by Uighur separatists to coincide with a festival, possibly to avenge the February 1997 crackdown on Muslim separatists in Xinjiang.

In early 1999, bombs ripped through two buses in Xinjiang, killing 18 people and wounding 37. In October of this year, an explosion aboard a city bus in Linyi, in eastern China, killed three people and injured 57. A local police official said at the time that it was unclear whether the bombing was a deliberate act of sabotage or an accident triggered by illegal explosives or chemicals.

Recently, information has come to light regarding cooperation between the Uighur separatists of Xinjiang and fundamentalist Islamic groups in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Hundreds of Uighurs were said to have been sponsored by “Gama’at el Islami” in Pakistan and to have undergone training by the Mujahedin in Afghanistan.

The fact that Saturday's bomb blast targeted McDonald's, an icon of American influence, in a city with a substantial Uighur population could point to more than simple revenge as a motive for the attack.

[kanawa]

Hope this hasn't been posted before.

[asa9]

Can't see it in your link.

[NYS_Eric]

Hundreds of Uighurs were said to have been sponsored by “Gama’at el Islami” in Pakistan and to have undergone training by the Mujahedin in Afghanistan.

Muslim terrorists? I'm shocked. Unfortunately for them, China's military is probably not too amused.

[VOA]

Go ahead Islam. Piss off China and see how long you last...

If these bombers damage the soft-drink dispensers, they are going to be in REAL trouble.
They are going to have to answer to The Coca-Cola Company.

(Inside humor for fans of "Dr. Strangelove")

[Grampa Dave]

So do the Islamic terrorists in China belong to PETA and ALF as well. I thought that only the PETA and ALF terrorists commited crimes against McDonald's!

I predict that we will see some instant justice and the disappearance as well as public executions of a whole bunch of suicidal Islamic Terrorists in China.

Is there an arrogance, ignorance and suicidial DNA requirement to become an Islamic Fanatic?! These guys are even dumber than Arafatty's terrorists!

Maybe we can give the ChiComs a flat fee to handle all Taliban and al Queerdo captives we have. Then we have no trial or sentencing problems. They would probably be glad to handle each goat humper for a couple of thousand $'s each!

These mentally unstable Islamics may be correct in saying that WWIII is starting. Except it may be the entire world cleaning out the scum from the shallow end of the Islamic gene pool! Darwin must love these idiots!

[Trailer Trash]

I was going to post this one this morning from the BBC.

So here it is http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/asia-pacific/newsid_1712000/1712974.stm

China hit by series of blasts   Bombings are on the rise in China   An explosion in a crowded McDonald's restaurant in the centre of China's western city of Xian is reported to have killed one person and injured more than 20. Officials said they suspected the person killed set off the blast, according to Reuters news agency. Uighurs are fighting for independence in the northwest   It follows a series of explosions in the southern province of Guangdong on Friday. Those blasts killed two people and injured several others. The police are investigating whether some of the blasts were linked to a business dispute, according to local media. It is not known whether Saturday's explosion has any connection with Friday's blasts. Xian is home to a sizeable ethnic Uighur Muslim population and Uighur separatists have staged several bombings in western China in the past. Business dispute Up to 20 small explosions hit several districts of the southern port city of Zhanjiang at day-break, state media said, killing two people and injuring six others. At around the same time, blasts shook three places in the city of Jiangmen, seriously injuring a seven-year-old boy, the Beijing Youth Daily said Hong Kong media also reported explosions in the nearby cities of Maoming and Yangjiang, but police and city officials in Maoming said they had no reports of this. Officials indicated that disputes were behind both sets of blasts in Zhanjiang and Jiangmen. Bombings increasing A Zhanjiang official told Reuters news agency that "as far as we know it's revenge related to debt disputes - somebody owed money and did not pay". Bombing incidents are on the rise in China, where explosives are cheap and easy to buy. The state often blames them on disillusioned individuals. In March, blasts at a dormitory in the northern industrial city of Shijiazhuang that killed more than 100 people was blamed on a man driven by jealousy and a desire for revenge.

See also:   25 Sep 01 | Asia-Pacific Explosives killer executed in China 16 Jul 01 | Asia-Pacific Dozens killed in China blast 29 Apr 01 | Asia-Pacific Three executed over China blasts 17 Mar 01 | Asia-Pacific China says 108 killed in blasts 08 Mar 01 | Asia-Pacific 'Madman' blamed for China school blast 07 Mar 01 | Asia-Pacific Fireworks blamed for China school deaths 02 Jul 00 | Asia-Pacific China closes fireworks factories Internet links:   Xinhua news agency The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites   Top Asia-Pacific stories now:   China hit by series of blasts Mahathir laments state of Muslims Japan to destroy tonnes of beef China hails 'successful' Burma trip Yen hits three-year low Chinese firm cleared of Taleban link Greenpeace disrupts Japan whalers HK critical of Tung re-election bid Links to more Asia-Pacific stories are at the foot of the page.

[kanawa]

On their homepage there's a headline to click on....or try this McDonalds bombing in China

I'll get the hang of this HTML stuff yet !!!!

[kanawa]

"Is there an arrogance, ignorance and suicidial DNA requirement to become an Islamic Fanatic?!"

Try this link

Programmed Terrorists

[Robert-J]

Ahhh, the religion of peace.

Doesn't the sound of children's screams and the sight of innocent men and women dying, make you feal so close to the Creator. At least according to CNN news bitch Christiane Amanpoop, mohammed was such a great and peaceful man.

I hope the Chinese and Indians respond peacefully to the religion of peace. At least, "peacefully" as the religion of peace defines it. For the religion of peace, peace comes when you have killed all your opponents. Go ahead China and India, deal "peacefully" with the religion of peace.

[VMI70]

Well said.

Our treatment of the muslims will seem like a walk in the park compared to what the Chinese would do.

FReegards,

[The_Media_never_lie]

Wonder if the Chinese Premier has given a speach yet on all the bad things the Chinese have done over the years to cause these terrorists to want to attack them? /sarcasm>

[tet68]

They were calling these "disaffected suicides" for a long time.

Now it's "Revenge"?

[Constantine XIII]

Can you say "organ banks?"

[Tree of Liberty]

The Chinese will likely come down extra hard on this since they've got the Olympics there in a few years and will not suffer any terrorist acts aimed at the games without severe retribution.

[MadEagle]

Islam seems to want to "separate" from wherever they happen to be living. Religion of peace, indeed... they are incapable of peaceful coexistence.

[cascademountaineer]

Someone must not have liked their McNuggets

[Check6]

They invented fireworks.

[oyez]

I was thinking "The ultimate food critic,"

[Cloud William]

Someone must not have liked their McNuggets

Naah, there's only one thing that'll cause something like this: Someone waited patiently in line for 20 minutes, then when they reached the counter, they were told: "Oh, we stopped serving breakfast five minutes ago...Sorry!"