Beijing stages anti-terror drills ahead of holidays

Police put a man playing the role of a terrorist under control in a simulation exercise at Beijing West Railway Station, on Saturday. [Photo/fawan.com]

BEIJING -- Beijing authorities held anti-terrorism drills across the city on Saturday to strengthen security prior to the National Day holiday beginning on October 1.

Terrorist scenarios including knife attacks were staged at 22 sites, including the Tian'anmen area, Beijing West Railway Station and Beijing Capital International Airport without advance notice, said the public security bureau of Beijing.

China fights terrorism and violent attacks

More than 1,000 police and armed police officers participated in the drills, which aim to test their emergency response, the bureau said.

These were Beijing's 10th anti-terror drills this year. Security has been beefed up in the Chinese capital since three terrorists drove a jeep into crowds near Tiananmen Square last year, killing six people, including the three assailants.

Last week, a court in Yunnan Province sentenced four people to jail terms on terrorism charges. The four were found to have made explosives in Beijing and Yunnan in an attempt to launch a "jihad."