BEIJING, April 10 (Xinhua) -- China has cracked two terrorist groups in the northwestern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the Ministry of Public Security said here Thursday.

    The terrorists, who numbered 45 in all, had attempted to sabotage the Beijing Olympic Games, ministry spokesman Wu Heping told a press conference.

    In the first case, police in Xinjiang netted a 10-member terrorist group led by Aji Muhammat, between Jan. 4 and Jan. 11, Wu said.

    During the raid, police seized 18 explosive devices, an additional 4 kg of explosives, seven detonators, 100 kg of raw material for making explosives and "a mass of text materials on starting a 'holy war'," he said.

    Police investigations indicated that the group was sent by the terrorist organization of "Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement" from abroad to carry out anti-Olympic terrorist attacks. Aji Muhammat and his gang have confessed to the police, Wu said.

    According to Wu, under the guidance of the "Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement", the group had been secretly recruiting members and sending them abroad for terrorist training. They had also been raising money to buy explosives.

    The members were ordered to put hotels, government buildings and military bases in Beijing and Shanghai under surveillance, he said.

    "After 13 remote explosive and poisonous device experiments, they had planned to start terrorist attacks using explosives and poison in Beijing and Shanghai, starting this May, to wreck the Olympics," Wu said.

    The spokesman said the other terrorist group was headed by Abdurahman Tursun. During the crackdown from March 26 to April 6, police arrested 35 suspects, confiscated 9.51 kg of explosives, eight detonators, two explosive devices and some material advocating a "holy war".

    Investigations revealed that the terrorist group plotted in last November to kidnap foreign journalists, tourists and athletes during the Beijing Olympics, Wu said. "They wanted to destroy the event by making trouble that would attract international attention."

    From early March this year, the terrorist group began to secretly recruit more members in various parts of Xinjiang, collect material for making explosives and search for persons capable of making guns and explosives, Wu said.

    They also looked for persons willing to "sacrifice themselves for the 'holy war' to carry out suicide bomb attacks in Urumqi and other Chinese cities," the spokesman said.

    "The crackdown of the two terrorist groups again proved China's security departments' ability to safeguard the upcoming Olympics," Wu said.

    But he stressed that China is facing threat from terrorist attacks targeted at the Olympics, and urged the public to raise awareness against terrorist attacks.

    He urged Chinese citizens to be highly alert, and report to the public security departments once they discover suspicious persons.

    "Any attempt to sabotage the Olympics is doomed to fail," he said.