Beijing holds anti-terror drill ahead of APEC meetings

BEIJING - Beijing police launched an anti-terror drill on Monday to guarantee security for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings scheduled to be held in Beijing in November.

Without being informed of the exercise, police officers from different departments handled simulated terror incidents in 35 minutes at two venues for the meetings, the China National Convention Center and Yanqi Lake, said a spokesman with the capital's public security bureau.

The drill's spokesman said the exercise was aimed at testing the responsiveness and coordination of police forces in the face of terrorist attacks.

At 2 p.m., the bureau's command center reported emergencies at the two venues, including a gathering of troublemakers, terrorists plowing into a crowd in a car carrying explosives, as well as hostage-taking.

Public security officers and armed police forces rushed to the sites. A helicopter above sent images to the command center in real time.

Also on Monday, China's police chief, Guo Shengkun, urged tight security checks to prevent terrorist attacks during the APEC meetings and ensure the "absolute safety" of leaders and senior officials at the meetings.

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