BEIJING - China disclosed yesterday that suspicious liquids were found on a flight headed to Beijing from a far western Muslim region, and Olympic organizers tried to dismiss fears that the summer games were under threat.
The government announced over the weekend that authorities had foiled a plot by Islamic terrorists targeting the August games, and said there was an apparently unrelated attempt to crash a passenger jet on Friday.
Scant details were initially released about the reported plot or the airplane incident.
However, China's head of civil aviation said yesterday that the flight from the far western Xinjiang region to Beijing was diverted after some passengers were found with suspicious liquids.
China Southern Airlines CZ6901 landed in Lanzhou, in western Gansu Province, to safeguard passengers, the aviation authority said in a notice on its website. No other details were given.
The head of Xinjiang's regional government earlier described the situation as an attempt to crash the plane.
Olympic organizers voiced confidence yesterday about security arrangements for the games in Beijing.
"An efficient Olympic security command system is in place," said Sun Weide, a spokesman for the organizing committee. "We're confident of holding a peaceful and safe Olympic Games."
The International Olympic Committee also said it believed proper security measures were in place.
"We cannot comment on this specific case as we have not been briefed about it. However, security at the Olympic Games is a top priority and the IOC is confident that the Chinese authorities are thorough and professional in their handling of security measures and precautions," International Olympic Committee spokeswoman Giselle Davies said in a statement.
