China Executes Man for Killing 35 in Violent Car Attack
China on Monday executed Fan Weiqiu, the man responsible for a devastating car rampage that killed 35 people in the southern city of Zhuhai in November 2024. The incident is now considered China’s deadliest mass attack in over a decade.
Fan, 62, deliberately drove his SUV through a crowd of people exercising outside a sports complex on November 11, also injuring 45 others. The brutal assault, which took place in the early morning hours, has been described as one of the most horrific crimes in the country since 2014.
Last month, a court sentenced Fan to death, deeming his actions as “extremely vile” and the crime itself “egregious.” In a statement, the court described the attack as one that posed significant harm to society, condemning Fan’s motive of “venting his anger” over a personal dispute. He had been enraged by his broken marriage, frustrations over the divorce, and dissatisfaction with the division of property.
State broadcaster CCTV confirmed on Monday that Fan was executed in accordance with an order from China’s Supreme People’s Court. The execution was supervised by local prosecutors as required by law. Fan had been detained at the scene with self-inflicted knife wounds and was reportedly in a coma for some time before being fully processed by police.
Also Read: Man Sentenced to Death for Killing 35 People in China’s Worst Public Attack Since 2014
The attack has stirred widespread shock and reflection across China, prompting discussions on the state of society and the underlying factors that could contribute to such an extreme act of violence. The incident also raised concerns about mounting frustrations amid economic slowdowns, high unemployment, and a sense of diminished social mobility.
In a related report, CCTV also announced the execution of another man, Xu Jiajin, who had carried out a mass stabbing in the city of Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. Xu, a 21-year-old former student, killed eight people and injured 17 in a rampage at a vocational school in November. Like Fan, Xu had been sentenced to death in December, with the court describing his crime as “extraordinarily serious.”
Although China’s death penalty statistics are classified, rights organizations like Amnesty International estimate that thousands are executed in the country each year, making China the world’s leading executor.
