Source: CNN News
The death toll of Saturday’s explosion at a McDonald’s outlet in China has gone up to two, after a weekend that saw five others die during a series of similar incidents in a southern province.
Beijing has asked regional authorities to conduct a thorough security check in the wake of the incidents in Shaanxi and Guangdong provinces.
Apart from stepping up surveillance on criminal gangs, a key goal of this year’s winter security campaign is to prevent violent and terrorist activities.
China’s official media have reported that the violent acts were committed by individuals rather than groups or organizations.
However, sources close to security departments in Beijing said the authorities were investigating whether the recent bombing incidents and other violent acts not reported in the media had links to terrorist and “cult” groups including Xinjiang separatists and the Falun Gong.
They said police nationwide were on alert against Uighur separatists who might stage acts of retaliation against the arrests of more than 2,000 underground activists in southern and western Xinjiang since mid-September.
Added: 2004