A Chinese firm accused of having sold telecom equipment to Iraq's military said Thursday, November 29 two blasts had taken place at its manufacturing center in the southern city of Shenzhen. Huawei Technologies said in a short statement that two "tiny blasts" had taken place Wednesday near a photocopier and a water fountain inside one of its buildings.
"No one was hurt, and there was no impact on our normal production and operations," the statement said. "Police are investigating the matter." The Hua Shang Bao newspaper said the blasts were caused by crudely made timer devices. Police suspect the culprit has links to Huawei, the paper said. Earlier this year the company was accused of violating United Nations sanctions against Iraq by providing fiber-optic communication cables for Iraqi air defenses. — (AFP, Beijing)
© Agence France Presse 2001
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
