Starting from August 29th, the China Civil Aviation authorities surprised many passengers by raising the security standard to level 2 at Shanghai and Beijing airports. The action has triggered various speculations. Some netizens announced on their Weibo that a number of passengers at Urumqi Airport were seen hiding knives inside walking sticks, while others claimed that the authorities were told by their informants that terrorist groups would hijack a plane and attack Xinjiang during the China-Asia-Europe Expo. Some even claimed five of eight terrorists have been arrested by the Urumqi local police. The China Civil Aviation authorities received the news and decided to raise the security standard at airports across China. These rumours, however, have not been confirmed by authorities.

The China-Asia-Europe Expo will be held in Urumqi from September 1st to 5th. It is the largest regional international investment and trade event in northwestern China. Experts say it is necessary to raise security standards at relevant airports since it is a large event and terrorist incidents have been frequent in Xinjiang in recent years.

See also: Security Check at Pudong and Hongqiao Airports Tightened

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Keywords: rumors terrorist attack Xinjiang more airport security Xinjiang terrorist attacks China-Asia-Europe expo security Beijing shanghai airport security 2011