BEIJING 2008 SUMMER OLYMPICS: USG SITUATION REPORT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 05 BEIJING 003254

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT, FOR, DS/IP/EAP, DS/DSS/DO, DS/TIA/OSAC, DS/P/MECU,
DS/TIA/ITA, DS/DO/P, DS/ICI/CI, DS/T/ATA, DS/TIA,
DS/TIA/PII, DS/CC, EAP/CM, S/CT, CA/OCS/ACS/EAP, PASS TO
TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION (TSA) OPERATIONS
CENTER, HONG KONG FOR RSO AND LEGAT AND USSS, SHANGHAI FOR
RSO, SHENYANG FOR RSO,CHENGDU FOR RSO, GUANGZHOU FOR RSO,
USSS HQS FOR INV, OPO, HNL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/24/2033
TAGS: ASEC CASC CH CMGT ECON KOLY OVIP PREL PTER
SUBJECT: BEIJING 2008 SUMMER OLYMPICS: USG SITUATION REPORT
24, 08/24/2008

REF: A. BEIJNG 3216

B. BEIJING 3241

C. BEIJING 3253

D. BEIJING 3158

E. BEIJING 3049

Classified By: DCM Dan Piccuta for reason 1.4 (b),(d)


1. (SBU) The following cable provides information on
security, public diplomacy, political, and consular
activities related to the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games
as of 08/24/2008.


2. (U) The interagency USG Joint Operations Center (JOC) can
be contacted on a 24-hour basis at the following numbers:

- JOC Direct Line: 011-86-010-6532-6966.
- U.S. Embassy Beijing: 011-86-010-6532-3431, JOC extension

6200.
- JOC fax: 011-86-010-6532-4763.
- STE and fax: 011-86-010-6532-5163.


KEY ISSUES
--------------

3. (SBU) MPS Requests U.S. Assistance on Alleged Olympics
Threat: In the early hours of 08/24/2008, the Chinese
Ministry of Public Security (MPS) passed to the Olympic
Security Coordinator (OSC) a request for USG assistance in
locating and interviewing the U.S.-based relatives of an
individual identified as Mehmet Molla, who the MPS portrayed
as a radical member of the Eastern Turkestan Independence
Movement (ETIM) planning to conduct unspecified terrorist
activity during the Olympics Closing Ceremony. Preliminary
record checks conducted by JOC agencies indicate Molla's
brothers--who were born in Turkey and carry Turkish
passports--are legally present in the U.S. A review of
Department of State records indicate Mehmet Emin Molla was
denied a U.S. visa in May 2005; however, no derogatory
information regarding Molla or his U.S.-based relatives was
found during the initial records search.


4. (SBU) Brothers Interviewed in the U.S.: Washington
DC-based Joint Terrorism Task Force agents were already in
the process of interviewing the brothers when the MPS again
contacted the JOC at 0730 hours local time to request that
the U.S. refrain from contacting them, as the MPS was aware
of Molla's likely whereabouts. According to the agents, the
brothers were cooperative and non-evasive during the
interview; they confirmed their Uighur ethnicity, stated that
they are in regular contact with Molla, and indicated that
Molla had moved to China approximately six months ago to
marry a Chinese national. According to the brothers, Molla

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is currently attempting to obtain a Turkish visa so that he
and his wife can depart China. A phone call made to Molla
during the interview appeared to confirm his current location
at a relative's house in Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang
Uighur Autonomous Region--located approximately 2050 miles
from Beijing. The agents obtained no information to support
the Chinese claim that Molla is associated with terrorist
elements or to corroborate the threat outlined by the MPS.


5. (SBU) Additional Actions: The Deputy OSC passed a
photograph of Molla, as well as his passport information, to
MPS contacts at the Olympics International Police Liaison
Center (ILPC). In response to JOC requests for additional
background on the threat, the MPS indicated that Molla came
to their attention during the Olympic Torch run through
Turkey when he received a call from a "high-level" ETIM
member; they also stated that they currently have him under
surveillance in Urumqi. In response to the original MPS
request, the JOC has provided MPS officials Molla's cell
phone number and informed them that the USG believes Molla to
be in Urumqi, that he does not appear to have a nexus to
terrorism, and that he is not seen to pose a threat to the
Olympic Games. In addition, the JOC passed the MPS threat
information and investigative update to the USG security
detals assigned to U.S. Secretary of Labor Elain Chao and
Secretary of Health and Human Servies Michael Leavitt--both
of whom will be in attendance at the Closing Ceremony.


SECURITY ISSUES
--------------

6. (SBU) Threats: Please see Key Issues for current
threat information.


7. (U) Chinese Dispute Pakistani Arrest Report: In
response to media reports regarding the alleged arrest of 35
Pakistani nationals in China on suspicion of planning
terrorist attacks during the Olympic Games (ref. a),the
Chinese state-run news outlet Xinhua stated on 08/22/2008
that an unspecified "relevant Chinese department" had denied
the story. This denial follows an earlier refutation of the
report by Pakistani Embassy representatives, who had
confirmed that no such arrests had taken place (ref. b).


8. (U) Incidents: Explosive Object Allegedly Found on
Guangzhou Bus: According to Chinese press reports, on
08/22/2008, Guangzhou city police arrested an individual in
connection with an 08/21/2008 incident in which a "minor
flammable and explosive object" was placed at the back of a
public bus. No one was injured in the incident and the bus
was not damaged. The Chinese press cited a rumor that the
Guangzhou Public Security Bureau (PSB) received a telephone
call approximately an hour before the incident claiming that

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there would be an explosion and police have indicated that
the perpetrator placed the object on the bus to "vent
personal grudges."


9. (C) Olympics Protests: Expected Early Release of
American Detainees: On 08/24/2008, Deputy Director General
(DDG) Qui of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA)
informed the U.S. Embassy that the Beijing PSB plans to
deport prior to midnight local time the eight U.S. citizens
currently in detention for pro-Tibet activities. The
eight--six of whom belong to the group "Free Tibet Reporters"
and two of whom are "Students for a Free Tibet" members--were
originally to be released on 08/30/2008 and 08/31/2008,
respectively (ref. c); Embassy officials had repeatedly
pressed Chinese authorities to immediately release the
Americans. The MFA requested that the Embassy not inform the
media about the decision until after the deportation of the
Americans and the Deputy Chief of Mission has further
instructed Embassy officials not to share the information
outside of classified channels until after the Chinese
announcement of the decision, due to the concern that any
announcement by the USG could result in a reversal of China's
decision on early release. DDG Qui emphasized that the
individuals had violated Chinese law and urged the Embassy to
advise all American visitors to comply with Chinese rules and
regulations.


10. (SBU) Pro-Tibet Protest Held in San Francisco: On
08/23/2008, Diplomatic Security's San Francisco Field Office
reported that approximately 250 Tibetan protesters arrived at
the Chinese Consulate after marching from the San Francisco
City Hall. Separate pro-Tibet protests were expected to
occur in New York City in conjunction with the Olympics
Closing Ceremony on 08/24/2008 (ref. c).


SECURITY OPERATIONS
--------------

11. (U) Closing Ceremony Logistics: Chinese authorities
have not publicly released details of the security measures
in place for the Olympics Closing Ceremony scheduled for 2000
hours local time on 08/24/2008. However, it is likely that
security will be similar to that for the Opening Ceremony, in
which spectators at the Olympic Green passed through
concentric layers of ticket and vehicle access checkpoints
and were subject to bag x-rays and body searches with
handheld magnetometers. The closing event is expected to be
lower in profile than the opening of the Games, lasting only
two hours and with fewer VIPs in attendance.


12. (SBU) USG Security Coordination for the Closing
Ceremony: USG Field Liaison Officers (FLO) will be present
at the National "Bird's Nest" Stadium to provide security

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support and coordination to U.S. athletes participating in
the Olympics Closing Ceremony. Concerns regarding crowd and
access control for high-profile teams and athletes have been
somewhat allayed by the fact that the U.S. Men's Basketball
and several other popular teams will not be participating in
the event (ref. c). In addition to the FLO presence, U.S.
agents assigned to the protective details of the USG
Delegation to the Closing Ceremony will carry FLO radios in
order to maintain contact with the JOC for situational
awareness and security support should it be necessary (ref.
c).


VIPS
--------------

13. (SBU) Delegation to Attend Closing Ceremony: The USG
Delegation to the Olympics Closing Ceremony will attend the
closing event of the Olympics on 08/24/2008; the Delegation
is headed by Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao and includes
Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt,
former State Department Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy
and Public Affairs Karen Hughes, former Olympian Michelle
Kwan, U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) President Peter
Ueberroth, and U.S. Ambassador Clark Randt. On 08/23/2008,
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met with the Delegation and
expressed his welcome for their visit, saying it is "an
embodiment of China-U.S. friendly cooperation." Secretaries
Chao and Leavitt conveyed President Bush's greetings to
Premier Wen, congratulated the Chinese on a successful
Olympic Games, and expressed sympathy to the victims and
families of the May 12 earthquake in Sichuan Province.


PUBLIC AFFAIRS/PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
--------------

14. (U) There is no significant information or activity to
report.


CONSULAR AFFAIRS
--------------

15. (SBU) Olympics Baby Doing Fine: A U.S. citizen who
gave birth to a baby girl in her hotel room on 08/17/2008
(ref. d) visited ACS on 08/23/2008 to obtain a Certified
Report of Birth Abroad for the infant. She also inquired how
to procure the proper Chinese Government documents to allow
the whole family to return to the United States. According
to ACS officers, mother and daughter continue to do well.


16. (SBU) American Hotel Room Vandal to Come out of
Hiding?: Media sources report that a U.S. citizen
responsible for painting the walls of two downtown Beijing
hotel rooms with anti-China statements and bible verses (ref.

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e) has been in hiding outside of Beijing since 08/06/2008.
According to The Los Angeles Times, Eddie Perez Romero plans
to turn himself in to Chinese authorities after the Olympic
torch is extinguished on 08/24/2008.


POLITICAL AFFAIRS
--------------

17. (U) There is no significant information or activity to
report.
RANDT