China: Children among 6 dead in shocking kindergarten stabbing incident
As many as six people, including three children, lost their lives, and another person was injured in a shocking stabbing incident at a kindergarten in Lianjiang city in south-eastern China, according to the news outlet BBC. A spokesperson for the city government has confirmed that the attack took place on Monday morning in Lianjiang of the Guangdong province, and a suspect has been arrested.
Details on victims of stabbing incident
As per reports, police sources revealed that the attack took place at around 7:40am (local time) on Monday. While labeling the case as "intentional assault," the police confirmed that a 25-year-old suspect, identified as Wu Moujie, was arrested about 20 minutes after the stabbing. The victims included three students, two parents, and one teacher, the news agency AFP reported, citing a government official.
Trigger warning: Visuals from Lianjiang stabbing incident
Lianjiang Public Security Bureau's official statement on incident
"At about 7:40am on July 10, 2023, an intentional injury case occurred in Hengshan Town, Lianjiang City, resulting in six deaths and one injury," the Lianjiang Public Security Bureau stated on the Chinese micro-blogging platform Weibo. "At about 8:00am on the same day, our bureau arrested the suspect Wu Moujie and brought him to justice. Currently, the case is under investigation," it added.
Recent rise of violence in China
While further details on the stabbing incident in Lianjiang are still awaited, it is worth noting that violent crimes are usually rare in China, partly due to tight security and strict gun control in the country. However, China has reportedly been seeing a surge in ax and knife attacks in recent years, including in schools.
Recalling recent mass stabbing incidents in China
Last year in August, a knife-wielding assailant reportedly stormed a kindergarten in the south-eastern province of Jiangxi and murdered three individuals, and injured six others. In 2021, two kids lost their lives, and 16 others were injured in April during a mass stabbing in Guangxi Zhuang's Beiliu City. Back in 2018, a knife attack at a kindergarten in Chongqing left 14 children injured.
