BBC: How big is the Xinjiang threat?

China has for months been warning that Xinjiang terrorists were planning attacks during the Olympics - fears that now appear well-founded.

One official said recently that China had cracked five terrorist groups and arrested 82 suspected terrorists in the first half of this year alone.

clipped from news.bbc.co.uk Security is high in Xinjiang ahead of the Olympics Xinjiang, in the far west of China, is home to the Uighur ethnic group, many of whom resent Beijing's rule over the region. There has been low-level terrorist activity there for a number of years, but this appears to have increased this year ahead of the Olympics. So how big is the terrorist risk at the Games? Hong Kong-based security expert Steve Vickers, CEO of consultancy International Risk, said there was only a "medium risk".