Attacks in China increase

A knife-wielding man attacked children and teachers in a kindergarten in eastern China, leaving three children and one teacher dead and about 20 children and staff were injured, two of the children seriously, this comes after a recent spate of attacks on schools by individuals as well as a the story reported on Monday of a man killing now 17 people with his tractor.

It’s thought that the assailant entered the school in a suburb of Zibo in Shandong province on Tuesday when parents were picking up their children its thought the man who looked about 27 or 28 gained entry to the school by posing as a parent. The local police were quickly on the scene after the attacks with some officers transporting some of the injured children to hospital before ambulances had time to arrive. There is currently very little information surrounding the attacks other than eyewitness accounts, due to the fact that Officials refused to release details of the attack, saying they feared reports could inspire copycat killers.

China has recently suffered a spate of attacks on schools and in public spaces that have left dozens of people dead and scores wounded and although authorities have responded with increased security at schools there are fears more attacks could happen and more people could be killed. There have also been orders to limit media coverage of the attacks to discourage more violence and calm public fears with many official news outlets not reporting on the attack, online postings about it were also deleted by mid-afternoon by government censors who police the Internet for material considered politically sensitive.

The head of the Zibo government propaganda department’s news office, who gave just his surname, Bi, would say only that there had been “very few deaths and injuries.” He also told The Associated Press by phone that: “The country has a regulation about reporting on these sorts of reports. There’s a worry that they might inspire copycat crimes creating a negative impact, so therefore, we are not issuing a report.”

Picture courtesy of peruisay

World News