Beijing steps up security amid alerts of threats against Westerners

Roads leading into the embassy area were closed to traffic.

The paramilitary cops officers guarding a mall within the Sanlitun area of Beijing on Thurs., as the embassies of america & different countries warned of attainable threats against Westerners over Christmas.

Security was tightened around the area, which is popular among foreigners and home to shops, bars and some embassies, on Thursday.

The French embassy in Beijing said it had received information from its American counterparts and urged “utmost vigilance” to its citizens.

The British Embassy issued a near-identical warning.

In August, a sword-wielding man killed a woman and injured a French man in broad daylight there.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, Hong Lei, said that he was aware of the reports and that the government paid “great attention” to the safety of foreigners.

Regular police tend not to carry guns in China and gun crime is uncommon.

According to the Beijing police statement, a yellow (second lowest) security alert has been issued for Christmas and New Year in order to maintain good social order, particularly in large shopping areas. Beijing police said the two victims were hit “without cause or reason”.

There are no further details from governmental agencies about the nature of the threat.

Beijing has been on much higher alert overall, with patrols by armed police in popular shopping and tourism sites, since a fatal vehicle crash in 2013 at the top edge of Tiananmen Square in which five people died.