Westerners warned of threats in Beijing

Ng Han Guan/AP Beijing police announced Thursday that they had issued a yellow security alert to ensure safety during the Christmas period.

A Chinese woman was stabbed and killed by a man with a sword during an attack outside the Sanlitun Village shopping complex this past August.

The advisory, issued shortly after 6 a.m. ET on Christmas Eve, urged caution “due to the occurrence of isolated acts of violence, including bombings and protests”, according to the Global Affairs Canada statement.

Chinese police stepped up patrols in the district on Thursday following the warnings.

The U.S. Embassy in Beijing says it has received information about possible threats against Westerners on or around Christmas Day.

The yellow alert is commonly issued in and around the holidays in China.

French, British, Australian and Irish officials followed with similar alerts for their citizens living or visiting Beijing, generally considered one of the world’s safest cities for foreigners. Beijing police said the two victims were hit “without cause or reason”.

China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hong Lei said authorities are familiar with the reports.

Westerners in Beijing have been warned they are the targets of a Christmastime terror threat.

The government blamed that incident on Islamist militants from China’s unruly far western region of Xinjiang, where hundreds have died in unrest in recent years.