China suspends military exchanges with US, threatens sanctions

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AP – FILE - In this July 20, 2006 photo, a U.S.-made Patriot missile is launched during the annual Han Kuang …

By CARA ANNA, Associated Press Writer – Sat Jan 30,

BEIJING – China suspended military exchanges with the United States and threatened sanctions against American defense companies Saturday, just hours after Washington announced $6.4 billion in planned arms sales to Taiwan.

The development has further strained the complex relations between the two powers, which are increasingly linked by security and economic issues.

China's Defense Ministry said the sales to self-governing Taiwan, which the mainland claims as its own, cause "severe harm" to overall U.S.-China cooperation, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported. The Foreign Ministry threatened sanctions against U.S. companies involved in the arms sales.A spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy, Susan Stevenson, had no comment on China's actions Saturday.

Taiwan is the most sensitive topic in U.S.-China relations, and the sales announced Friday could complicate cooperation between the two sides on issues ranging from Iran's nuclear program to the loosening of Internet controls, including a Google-China standoff over censorship.

China's Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei warned U.S. Ambassador Jon Huntsman that the sales of Black Hawk helicopters, Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles and other weapons to Taiwan would "cause consequences that both sides are unwilling to see," a ministry statement said Saturday.

The United States is Taiwan's most important ally and largest arms supplier, and it's bound by law to ensure the island is able to respond to Chinese threats.

China responds angrily to any proposed arms sale, however, and it also cut off military ties with the U.S. in 2008 after the former Bush administration announced a multibillion-dollar arms sale to Taiwan.

Washington has tried to use military visits to build trust with Beijing and learn more about the aims of its massive military buildup.

Overall ties have been tense as President Barack Obama plans to meet with the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibet, this year. It's not known whether the Taiwan arms sale will affect President Hu Jintao's expected visit to the U.S. this year.

Experts on China warned Beijing could take further steps to punish the United States to show its newfound power and confidence in world affairs.

Jin Canrong, a professor of international studies at China's Renmin University, said the sale would give Beijing a "fair and proper reason" to accelerate weapons testing. China test-fired rockets in recent weeks for an anti-missile defense system in what security experts said was a display of anger at the pending arms sale.

"The U.S. will pay a price for this. Starting now, China will make some substantial retaliation, such as reducing cooperation on the North Korea and Iran nuclear issues and anti-terrorism work," Jin added.

The latest suspension of military ties should affect planned visits to China by U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff. A visit to the U.S. by the Chinese military's chief of the general staff, Gen. Chen Bingde, could also be called off.

The U.S. Congress has 30 days to comment on the newest arms sales before the plan goes forward. Lawmakers traditionally have supported such sales.

Though Taiwan's ties with China have warmed considerably since Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou took office 20 months ago, Beijing has threatened to invade if the island ever formalizes its de facto independence. China has more than 1,000 ballistic missiles aimed at Taiwan.

Obama's national security adviser, Jim Jones, said in a speech Friday that both Washington and Beijing do things "periodically that may not make everybody completely happy" but that the United States is "bent toward a new relationship with China as a rising power in the world."

The arms package dodges a thorny issue: more advanced F-16 fighter jets that Taiwan covets are not included.

The Pentagon's decision not to include the fighters and a design plan for diesel submarines — two items Taiwan wants most — "shows that the Obama administration is deeply concerned about China's response," said Wang Kao-cheng, a defense expert at Taipei's Tamkang University.

Taiwan's Ma told reporters Saturday that the deal should not anger the mainland because the weapons are defensive, not offensive.

"The weapons sale decision will ... allow us to have more confidence and sense of security in developingcross-Strait relations," he said.

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Associated Press writers Foster Klug and Robert Burns in Washington, Charles Hutzler in Beijing and Annie Huang in Taipei contributed to this report.

Iran blames US, Israel after bomb kills nuclear physicist

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AP – This undated file photo released by the semi-official Iranian Fars News Agency shows nuclear physics …

By NASSER KARIMI and BRIAN MURPHY, Associated Press Writers

TEHRAN, Iran – A senior physics professor who publicly backed Iran's opposition leader was killed when a bomb-rigged motorcycle exploded as he left for work Tuesday. The government blamed the U.S. andIsrael for the attack.

The blast apparently was set off by a remote trigger, but it was unclear why the professor was targeted. The victim was a 50-year-old researcher with no prominent political voice, no published work with military relevance and no declared links to Iran's nuclear program.

Hard-line backers of the Islamic system have urged stronger measures to try to crush and intimidate anti-government forces. But the Tehran University professor, Masoud Ali Mohammadi, was far from a front-row political player.

He joined a list of 240 faculty members in a declaration supporting opposition candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi before June's disputed presidential election, but did not take any known high-profile role in the protests after the vote.

The attack was an oddity in Tehran, where such targeted bombings are rare.

"There's a lot of conflicting and confusing aspects to this," said Mehrzad Boroujerdi, an Iranian affairs expert at Syracuse University. "About the only thing we can probably say is that this may bring lots more pressure on the opposition."

Iran's leadership immediately blamed an armed Iranian opposition group that it said operated under the direction of Israel and the United States. The Web site of Iran's presidential office said President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ordered an investigation into foreign involvement in the bombing.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said: "Any charges of U.S. involvement are absurd." A U.S. intelligence official said the CIA played no role in the bombing death, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

Israel's Foreign Ministry had no comment.

It is the third mysterious incident involving an Iranian scientist in recent years.

Researcher Shahram Amiri disappeared in June while on a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, raising questions about whether he defected and gave the West information on Iran's nuclear program. Amiri worked at a university linked to the Revolutionary Guard and his wife said he was researching medical uses of nuclear technology at a university.

Iran's foreign minister accused the U.S. of helping to kidnap him and demanded his return.

In 2007, state TV reported that another nuclear scientist, Ardeshir Hosseinpour, died from gas poisoning. A one-week delay in the reporting of his death prompted speculation about the cause, including that Israel's Mossad spy agency was to blame.

Ali Mohammadi, however, had no known ties to Iran's nuclear program — which the West alleges could include a clandestine weapons program. Iran says it only seeks to build energy-producing reactors.

Ali Shirzadian, a spokesman for the atomic agency, told The Associated Press that Ali Mohammadi "was not involved in the country's nuclear program."

His published work — focusing on theoretical physics and the study of subatomic particles — has virtually no military applications, said Michio Kaku, a prominent high-energy physics professor at City College of New York.

"Nuclear physicists interested in bomb-making would have no interest in these papers," Kaku said. "These papers are highly abstract."

Ali Mohammadi had just left his house in northern Tehran's Qeytariyeh neighborhood when the explosion shattered nearby windows.

The semiofficial ISNA news agency quoted Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi as claiming foreign spy agencies were involved.

"Since Ali Mohammadi was one of the scientists of physics and nuclear energy, most probably intelligence services and elements of the Mossad and CIA had a hand in his assassination," the prosecutor said, according to the Web site of state TV. Iran's Foreign Ministry also accused Israel and the U.S. of involvement, the Web site said.

Iran also directed suspicion at the People's Mujahedeen Organization of Iran, an exiled opposition group. Tabnak, a conservative Web site close to Iran's ruling establishment, said the group carried out the attack under direction of Israeli agents.

The People's Mujahedeen denied any involvement and said the claim was a government ploy to smear the group.

The Basij militia — a nationwide force linked to the powerful Revolutionary Guard — condemned the killing and called the professor a martyr. The Revolutionary Guard has led the postelection crackdowns, and the Basij, often riding motorcycles, have been a main attack force on street protesters.

Dozens of people have been killed in Iran's worst internal unrest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Last week, pro-government demonstrators fired on the car of Mahdi Karroubi, another leading opposition figure who lost in the election. He was not hurt.

The Basij statement said Ali Mohammadi also taught at the Imam Hossein and Malek Ashtar universities, both linked to the Revolutionary Guard.

In 1992, Ali Mohammadi received a doctorate from Tehran's Sharif University of Technology.

The semiofficial Mehr news agency quoted the head of Tehran University's science department, Ali Moqari, as saying that Ali Mohammadi was not involved in political activity on campus — one of the centers of anti-government organizing.

___

Murphy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press Writers Seth Borenstein and Pamela Hess in Washington and Malcolm Ritter in New York contributed to this report

US charges Nigerian with trying to blow up plane

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AP – FILE -This Dec. 25, 2009 file photo shows Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on the runway after arriving …

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By JIM IRWIN, Associated Press Writers – 2 mins ago

DETROIT – A man who claimed to be an agent of al-Qaida was charged Saturday with trying to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight on Christmas Day as it was preparing to land in Detroit, officials said.

The Justice Department said 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab had a device containing a high explosive attached to his body on Flight 253 from Amsterdam. As the flight neared Detroit's airport on Friday, Abdulmutallab set it off — but it sparked a fire instead of an explosion, the government said.

A preliminary analysis of the device shows that it contained PETN, also known as pentaerythritol, according the affidavit filed in federal court in Detroit.

Abdulmutallab allegedly told passengers that his stomach was upset, then pulled a blanket over himself, the affidavit said. Passengers then heard popping noises that sounded like fireworks and smelled smoke before at least one passenger climbed over seats and tackled Abdulmutallab.

"Had this alleged plot to destroy an airplane been successful, scores of innocent people would have been killed or injured," U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement. "We will continue to investigate this matter vigorously, and we will use all measures available to our government to ensure that anyone responsible for this attempted attack is brought to justice."

In Nigeria, a prominent banker said he feared that it was his son — a former university student in London who had left Britain to travel abroad — committed the unsuccessful attack.

The father, Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, told The Associated Press on Saturday he didn't know exactly where his son was but planned to speak with Nigerian authorities.

"I believe he might have been to Yemen, but we are investigating to determine that," said father said.

Abdulmutallab claimed to have been instructed by al-Qaida to detonate the plane over U.S. soil, said a U.S. law enforcement official. But others cautioned that such claims could not be verified immediately. Another official said the U.S. had known for at least two years that that the Mutallab could have had terrorist ties and was on a list that includes people with known or suspected ties to a terrorist organization.

All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was continuing.

London's Metropolitan Police also was working with U.S. officials, said a spokeswoman who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with department policy. A search was under way Saturday at an apartment building where Abdulmutallab is said to have lived in a posh West London neighborhood.

University College London issued a statement saying a student named Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab studied mechanical engineering there between September 2005 and June 2008. But the college said it wasn't certain the student was the same person who was on the plane.

The White House said it believed it was an attempted act of terrorism and stricter security measures were quickly imposed on airline travel. The incident was reminiscent of Richard Reid, who tried to destroy a trans-Atlantic flight in 2001 with explosives hidden in his shoes, but was subdued by other passengers.

Intelligence and anti-terrorism officials in Yemen said they were investigating claims by the suspect that he picked up the explosive device and instructions on how to use it in that country. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak to the media.

Passenger Jasper Schuringa, one of the 278 passengers onboard the Northwest Airlines flight, said Saturday he heard a pop, saw smoke and climbed over seats to stop a man from trying to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight in Detroit.

"I didn't think. I just went over there to try to save the plane," Schuringa, of Amsterdam, told CNN.

Melinda Dennis, another passenger who was seated in the front row of the plane, said the man was brought to the front row and seated near her. She said his legs appeared to be badly burned and his pants were cut off. He was taken off the plane handcuffed to a stretcher, she said.

An intelligence official said he was being held and treated in an Ann Arbor, Mich., hospital. A spokeswoman for the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor said one passenger from the flight was taken there, but referred all inquiries to the FBI.

Officials in the Netherlands said an initial investigation showed that routine security procedures were followed at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam with no irregularities. Mutallab's name was on the passenger manifesto that was forwarded and approved by U.S. authorities before takeoff.

The list that Mutallab had been on in the U.S. is maintained by the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center and includes about 550,000 names, an official said. People on that list are not necessarily on the no-fly list, andNew York congressman Peter King says Abdulmutallab was not on the no-fly list. Dutch anti-terrorism authorities said Mutallab was traveling on a U.S. visa valid through the first half of 2010.

In response to Friday's incident, some airlines were telling passengers that new U.S. government security regulation prohibit them from leaving their seats an hour before landing.

Air Canada said in a statement that new rules imposed by the Transportation Security Administration limit on-board activities by passengers and crew in U.S. airspace. The airline said that during the final hour of flight passengers must remain seated. They won't be allowed access to carryon baggage or to have any items on their laps.

U.S.-bound travelers were also undergoing body searches at Amsterdam's airport, and passengers flying to the United States from London's Heathrow said they received text messages informing them that the hand baggage allowance had been reduced to one item.

"The extra measures apply worldwide on all flights to the U.S. as of now and for an indefinite period," says Judith Sluiter, spokeswoman for the Dutch National Coordinator for Counterterrorism.

President Barack Obama was notified of the incident and discussed it with security officials, the White Housesaid. Officials said he is monitoring the situation and receiving regular updates from his vacation spot inHawaii.

Nigeria's information minister, Dora Akunyili, condemned the attempted bombing. She said the government has opened its own investigation into the suspect and will work with U.S. authorities.

"We state very clearly that as a nation we abhor all forms of violence," Akunyili said in a statement issued Saturday.

___

Associated Press Writers Corey Williams in Detroit; Lara Jakes in Baghdad; Jon Gambrell in Lagos, Nigeria; Arthur Max in Amsterdam; Jennifer Quinn in London; Ahmed al-Haj in Yemen; and Joan Lowy, Eileen Sullivan, Larry Margasak and Devlin Barrett in Washington contributed to this report.