China fears domestic threat to Olympics: Interpol

A security guard stands at his post in front of the National Aquatics Center, also known as the Water Cube, a venue for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, in Beijing June 12, 2008.

LONDON (Reuters) - China is more concerned about domestic than international terrorism and is pouring unprecedented resources into ensuring the security of the Beijing Olympics, the head of Interpol said on Thursday.

Ronald Noble said foreign militants would find it very difficult to operate in China but this did not necessarily mean the risk of a terrorist attack was lower than at the two previous Summer Games, in Sydney and Athens.

"No, I can say that the Chinese authorities have said they are more worried about a terrorist threat coming from inside than from outside, or inspired by inside-related activities than outside-related activities," he told Reuters in a telephone interview.

Noble said pro-Tibet protests that disrupted the international Olympic torch relay this year had increased concern that "people might want to use the Olympics in order to make a statement against China".

"But the Chinese authorities have devoted more resources to making sure these are safe Olympics than any other country has ever before, and China is a very, very difficult country for a foreigner to operate in without him, or her, or that group being detected," Noble said.

"And so for that reason, from Interpol's perspective, I can say with all honesty there isn't anything else that I believe China should be doing or could be doing to ensure that there would be a safe and secure Olympics."

Noble said in a speech in Beijing in April there was a "real possibility" the Olympics would be targeted by terrorists.

In the interview, he said this was not prompted by any specific intelligence.

"Prudence requires us to recognize that an event like the Olympics, that has been the focus of terrorist attacks in the past, remains an event that terrorists would love to target."

SECURITY WORRIES

Security has been an ever-present worry at Olympic Games since 11 Israelis died in Munich in 1972 after Palestinian gunmen took them hostage and German authorities botched a rescue attempt.

Greece spent some $1.8 billion to protect the Athens Games in 2004, the first to be held after al Qaeda's 2001 attack on the United States.

China has accused Muslim, ethnic Uighur militants in its Central Asian border region of Xinjiang of plotting attacks aimed at establishing an independent state, and says it has foiled plots to kidnap athletes.

Chinese security forces launched a week of anti-terrorism drills dubbed "Great Wall 5" on Wednesday, beginning with a simulated chemical blast at the Olympic beach volleyball venue.

Noble said Interpol was racing to ensure that Chinese officials are fully hooked up to its global database of lost and stolen travel documents -- a vital tool to intercept foreigners arriving with false papers -- before the Games start on August 8.

He said Austria, which is co-hosting the Euro 2008 soccer championship, was connected only a week before it started.

It is now conducting several thousand searches a day and has already registered "a couple of dozen hits" for fraudulent document use.

(Editing by Robert Woodward)