BEIJING, Nov 10: The US embassy in China on Thursday retracted a warning about possible attacks by Muslim extremists against luxury hotels in China, saying local police had determined that the reported threat was not credible.

“The Chinese ministry of public security informed the US embassy in Beijing on Nov 10 that Chinese security authorities have determined that the source of a reported threat against four and five star hotels in China is not credible,” the embassy said on its website.

“The United States government is not aware of any other information of any threat against hotels in China, including Hong Kong. Our warden message of Nov 9 on threats to hotels is therefore retracted.”

The warning posted on the US embassy website on Wednesday said the mission had learned that Chinese police had advised hotels that extremists could be planning to attack luxury hotels in China sometime next week.

The warning was issued just 10 days before a scheduled visit by US President George Bush.

China’s foreign ministry on Thursday called the report ‘a sham fabricated by some foreign citizen’.

“China’s ministry of public security has never issued any such warning to China’s hotels, so it’s safe to stay in China’s hotels,” said foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao.

He said security officials had informed him that a foreign national had issued a false report.

“This foreign national issued such a false report using an anonymous method,” he said. “I believe Chinese police are carrying out an investigation but the result shows it was anonymous information.—AFP