Security concerns over a possible terrorist attack during the Beijing Olympics spread to Hong Kong today, with a top immigration official warning the city's hosting of Olympics equestrian events could be targeted.
"Intelligence reports suggest to us that there are some people who will come to sabotage Olympics events including equestrian events," said Simon Peh, Hong Kong's director of immigration, in an interview,
"Of course this kind of intelligence will continually change ... right now the main individuals who might sabotage the event are terrorists," Peh added, without giving any specifics on where these terrorists might come from or their affiliation.
The head of Interpol, Ronald Noble, said in April there was a "real possibility" that the Beijing Olympics would be targeted by terrorists, but this was the first time that specific intelligence had suggested a possible security threat involving Hong Kong.
The former British colony will have a fringe Olympics role this August, hosting equestrian events on behalf of Beijing after the capital city failed to set up a disease-free zone for horses.
Mr Noble has said that foreign militants would find it very difficult to operate in China and Chinese authorities were more concerned about a terrorist threat coming from inside than from outside the country.
China has accused Uighur militants in the far western, mainly Muslim region of Xinjiang of plotting attacks with al Qaeda's support to help achieve their goal of establishing an independent country called East Turkistan.
The international leg of the Olympic torch relay has been dogged by pro-Tibet and anti-China protests, following unrest in Tibet last month in which China says about 20 people died.
Reuters