Six killed in China kindergarten attack, suspect detained
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The incident took place around 7.40am local time on Monday, and the victims include one teacher, two parents and three pupils.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BEIJING - A 25-year-old man was suspected of attacking a kindergarten in China’s Guangdong province on Monday, killing six people and injuring one, police said.
Media reported the attack in Lianjiang county was a stabbing. The suspect, with the surname Wu and from Lianjiang, had been detained, police said.
Some media reported that both adults and children were among the victims. They were a teacher, two parents and three pupils, a spokesman for the city government said.
“One suspect has been arrested,” the spokesman said, adding that a police investigation was under way.
While violent crime is relatively rare in China due to strict gun laws and tight security, incidents of stabbings at pre-schools over the past few years have raised concerns about school safety.
The latest news sparked emotive debate on the Weibo social media platform. By 1.50pm local time, it was the top-trending discussion, with 290 million views.
The incident took place at around 7.40am on Monday, the state-backed China News Network reported.
Videos shot by passers-by claiming to show the crime scene were removed from video-sharing platform Douyin and the Twitter-like Weibo.
Some social media users called for the suspect to face the death penalty.
“It’s outrageous to do this to children who have no power at all. How many families will be destroyed by this... I support the death penalty,” one Weibo user said.
Another user questioned security at schools, especially after similar previous attacks. “Why do such cases still continue to emerge?”
Spate of attacks
Attacks on children have thrown a spotlight on mental health, which often goes under the radar due to cultural stigma attached to mental illness.
In August 2022, three people were killed and six others wounded
In April 2021, two children were killed and 16 others wounded
In June 2020, 37 pupils and two adults were wounded by a knife-wielding attacker at a primary school in southern China.
In 2017, a 22-year-old man set off an explosive device outside a kindergarten in Jiangsu province, killing himself and a few others while wounding dozens. The man had a neurological disorder and had scrawled words for death on the walls of his home, according to state media.
In June 2023, a series of violent attacks in Hong Kong
