On 9 July 2008 officials stated that they will increase security measures at all security checkpoints throughout Beijing next week in the lead-up to the Olympic Games in August. K9 units specialized in detecting explosives will be deployed, and police officers will be equipped with metal detectors and security scanners. These measures will be implemented at each checkpoint on the roads leading into Beijing and throughout the capital. Vehicles registered with licenses outside Beijing will have to submit to security checks.

Meanwhile, Chinese officials stated that travelers, including tour groups, will be banned from visiting Peking University, the venue for table tennis events for the upcoming Olympic Games. The university’s security department stated that the ban will be implemented from 20 July to 18 September due to security concerns at the facility. Only faculty, staff and students will be allowed on campus and will have to show identification in order to enter the university. The Olympic table tennis event will be held from 13-23 August in the University Gymnasium, while Paralympics events will be held at the facility from 7-16 September.

On 9 July 2008 police officers in the western Xinjiang region raided an apartment where several suspects were reportedly planning to launch a “holy war” on the government. Authorities stated that police officers shot and killed at least five of the suspects during the raid. The group of ethnic Uighur men was allegedly stockpiling knives and other weapons. Police officers stated that they were forced to open fire on the assailants when some of the suspects rushed toward them as they entered the apartment. The Chinese government has repeatedly accused militant Uighur groups of plotting terrorist attacks in an effort to create a breakaway state.