Interpol satisfied with Olympics security preparations

HONG KONG (Reuters) - The head of Interpol said on Tuesday that China's security preparations for the Beijing Olympics in August were of the highest standard, though reiterated the Games remained a possible terrorist target.

"Interpol is very satisfied with the level of security preparations being put in place for the Beijing Olympics," Interpol secretary general Ronald Noble said in Hong Kong.

"Progress is significant and the preparations are of the highest possible standard."

Noble reiterated, however, that Chinese and regional law enforcement authorities needed to be on guard against terrorist threats during the Games, which kick off on August 8.

"We've got no specific information suggesting that it is (a terrorist threat), but I think prudence requires you to recognize that there could be."

Interpol has said that the Beijing Games are a "prime theoretical target" for al Qaeda and other terrorist groups.

Previous Olympics have been targeted, including the 1972 Munich Games where 11 Israelis died in an attack by Palestinian gunmen and a botched rescue attempt, and a bomb attack in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics that killed one person and injured over 100.

China hasn't publicly commented on which groups might target the Games, but a senior official warned last month that Uighur militants from the restive far western Muslim region of Xinjiang were a threat.

(Reporting by James Pomfret; Editing by Bill Tarrant)