Police in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, have broken up five terrorist groups seeking to disrupt the Beijing Olympics in the first half of the year, an official announced yesterday.

Chen Zhuangwei, head of the city's public security bureau, said police have rounded up 82 suspects in crackdowns on terrorists, separatists and religious extremists during the period. They also clamped down on 41 locations used for illegally preaching religious extremism and training for "holy war".

They also seized 25 suspects and destroyed seven publishing centers belonging to the Falungong cult in 16 separate cases.