BEIJING (AP) A radical Islamic group seeking independence for a northwestern Chinese region praised last month's deadly attack in Beijing and warned of possible new terrorist strikes in the capital.
It wasn't clear if the Turkistan Islamic Party was claiming it planned the Oct. 28 vehicle attack at Tiananmen Gate that killed two tourists and the three attackers. China had longed blamed TIP and its predecessor for extremist violence in the Xinjiang region, though many observers question whether the group is capable of organizing attacks and even whether it exists in an organized manner.
Following the video's disclosure, China reasserted on Monday that it faces an organized threat.
In the 8 minute, 11 second video, the TIP's purported head, Abdullah Mansour, called the attack a "jihadi operation" and praised the assailants, who included a man, his wife and her mother, as Islamic warriors. He said future attacks could target the Great Hall of the People, China's legislative seat.
"Oh Chinese unbelievers, know that you have been fooling East Turkistan for the last 60 years, but now they have awakened. The people have learned who is the real enemy and they returned to their own religion. They learned the lesson," Mansour said. The video was posted on the Internet on Nov. 12 and picked up by the Washington-based SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist websites.
