A Chinese Islamic group that has threatened to attack the Beijing Olympics released a new video warning Muslims to avoid being on planes, trains and buses with Chinese citizens at the games, a U.S. group that monitors militant organizations said Thursday.

The video was purportedly made by the Turkestan Islamic Party, which seeks independence for China's western Xinjiang region, the SITE Intelligence Group said. The militants are thought to be based in Pakistan, where security experts say core members have received training from al-Qaida.

Last month, the group issued videotaped threats and claimed responsibility for a series of bus bombings in China.

The new video, issued just ahead of today's opening of the games, features graphics similar to ones used earlier: a burning Olympics logo and an explosion imposed over an apparent Olympic venue.

The speaker in the 6-minute video wears a black turban and covers his face. Gripping a Kalashnikov rifle, he speaks in the Turkic language of the Uighurs, a largely Muslim minority in China's western Xinjiang territory. The Uighurs have a long history of tense relations with the central government.

More than 100,000 soldiers and police are guarding Beijing and other Olympic cities. Terrorism experts say the heavy security would likely force attackers to target less-protected areas.

"I think the actual Olympics themselves, the venues, the guests, the athletes, are going to be safe," said Drew Thompson, director of China studies at the Nixon Center in Washington.

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