Mental health questions amid spate of killings in China
The biggest mass attacks in China in recent years:
* May 22, 2014, Urumqi, Xinjiang region – Four men drove two SUVs into crowds of shoppers in a busy market and threw explosives out of the car windows, killing themselves and 39 others.
* September 30 to October 1, 2015, Liuzhou, southern China – In a series of bombings, a 33-year-old man killed 10 people and injured 51 during a water festival. The suspect died in one of the bombings, police said. He had sent more than a dozen package bombs to locations such as shopping malls, hospitals and government buildings.
* January 5, 2016, Yinchuan, northwest China – A man carried out an arson attack on a bus, killing 17 people and injuring 32.
* September 12, 2018, Hengyang, southern China – A man rammed his car into a crowd in a public square and attacked people at the scene with a folding shovel and a dagger, killing 11 and injuring 44. According to the police, the suspect had been convicted multiple times for drug trafficking, theft and harming others, which led to a “desire for revenge against society”.
* July 7, 2020, Anshun, southwest China – A 52-year-old man drove a bus into a lake, killing 21 people and injuring 15. According to police, the bus driver was dissatisfied with his life and resentful over the demolition of public housing he rented.
* January 11, 2023 – Guangzhou, southern China – A 22-year-old man rammed his car into a crowd in the business district, causing five deaths and 13 injuries. According to the court, the suspect had huge debts and had carried out the crime to “vent personal emotions”.
* June 11, 2024, Jilin, northeast China – A 55-year-old local man wounded four American instructors from a small Iowa university in a public park. The officials took more than 24 hours to disclose the attack and Chinese social media was scrubbed of images of the attack.
* June 24, 2024 – Suzhou, eastern China – An unemployed man in his 50s wounded three people in a knife attack on a Japanese school bus. A Japanese boy and his mother were injured and a Chinese employee who tried to protect the students died. State media and major social media platforms condemned “extreme nationalism” after the attack.
* September 18, 2024, Shenzhen, southern China – A 10-year-old Japanese student was fatally stabbed on his way to school by a 44-year-old unemployed man. The attack took place on the anniversary of an incident in 1931 that triggered war between China and Japan.
* September 30, 2024, Shanghai, eastern China – In a suburban supermarket, a 37-year-old man killed three people and injured 15 in a knife attack. According to an initial investigation by the police, the suspect had travelled to Shanghai to vent his anger following a personal financial dispute.
* October 8, 2024, Guangzhou, southern China – A 60-year-old man launched a knife attack in front of a primary school in the central area of the city. Three were injured, including two primary school students. The suspect had previously been convicted of attempted murder for stabbing his ex-girlfriend and was released from prison in March after serving his sentence.
* October 28, 2024, Beijing – A 50-year-old man wounded five people including three minors in a knife attack near one of the city’s top primary schools in Haidian district at the school dismissal time.
* November 11, 2024, Zhuhai, southern China – A 62-year-old man killed 35 people and severely injured 43 by driving a car into a crowd at a sports centre. Police said he had been upset about the split of assets in his divorce settlement.
* November 16, 2024, Wuxi, eastern China – A former student went on a stabbing rampage at a vocational college, killing eight people and injuring 17. Police said he was angry over not getting his graduation certificate and failing an exam.
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