China detains U.S. artist preparing Tibet protest

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BEIJING (AP) — An American artist who planned to use laser beams to flash "free Tibet" on buildings in downtown Beijing was detained Tuesday, according to a colleague and a pro-Tibet group.
James Powderly, co-founder of Graffiti Research Lab in New York, was detained before dawn as he prepared to use a handheld green laser to project messages on prominent structures in Beijing, according to Students for a Free Tibet.

Powderly's colleague, Nathan Dorjee, said in New York that he received a text message from the artist which said he had been detained around 3 a.m. by police.

Officials at Beijing's Municipal Publicity Security Bureau did not answer phone calls Tuesday night. His whereabouts remained unknown, the group said.

"He was going to project a message that said, 'Free Tibet,' and some other messages that would have been three-stories high in different locations in Beijing," Dorjee said.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-08-19-China-protest_N.htm?csp=34