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Explosion in American-owned Café in China
SAFETY & SECURITY
East Asia / Pacific - China
30 Dec 2008
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Executive Summary
On the morning of December 24, an ammonium nitrate-based device detonated at Salvador’s Cafe, a partially American-owned establishment in Kunming, southwestern China, popular with foreign travelers. Besides one of the owners of the café, no American citizens were present when the device exploded, and the only injuries reported were to the subject carrying the device. Damage to the restaurant was considered minimal. While the motive is unclear, Chinese authorities have effectively ruled out terrorism.
Introduction
On December 24, five minutes before Salvador’s Café in Kunming China was set to open for the day, a man Chinese authorities described as being of Han Chinese descent entered the premises alone and sat down for breakfast. After spending about an hour-and-a-half in the establishment, Li Yan proceeded toward the restroom area, where a device he was carrying in his back-pack eventually exploded. Chinese authorities believe that while the restaurant was the intended target, the device detonated prematurely. Besides the suspect, no deaths or injuries were reported, and damage to the café was considered minimal. The suspect himself died two hours later in a local hospital.
Links to Terrorism
Through chemical and DNA evidence, Chinese investigators claim to have linked Li to two July bus-bombings in Kunming that killed two people and injured 14 others just three weeks before the Summer Olympics Games in Beijing. Additionally, the suspect apparently offered a corroborating death bed confession to this effect. However, because PRC law enforcement authorities do not often share forensic evidence or reports, it cannot be determined conclusively what, if any, link this person had to the bus bombings
Information currently available does not link the man to any transnational terrorist organization or the Uighur separatist movement in China.
Motive
The man’s motives are still unclear. However, Chinese authorities ruled out an act of terrorism, citing the location of the explosion, the damage caused and the background of the suspect (upon which they would not elaborate). It should also be noted that mornings in this particular café are not considered its busy times. Finally, authorities assert that the explosion was not directed at American citizens or other foreigners known to frequent the establishment. However, if the detonation was premature, it would be difficult to determine who or what the intended target actually was.
Given the lack of association with any established militant group, the man may have been a lone wolf operating based on a personal grudge, or an otherwise emotionally disturbed individual.
Conclusion
Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province (please see the attached map), is 1,300 miles southwest of Beijing and is not generally considered a restive area. However, constituents operating in the city should be cognizant of the security challenges the city poses. OSAC constituents are asked to report any security infractions they face, and can consult with RISC’s Regional Coordinator for East Asia/Pacific for additional information.