Man Sentenced to Death for Killing 35 People in China’s Worst Public Attack Since 2014
A death sentence has been handed down to Fan Weiqiu, who was responsible for killing 35 people in a car attack in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai last month.
The incident occurred on November 11 when Weiqiu intentionally rammed his SUV into a group of people carrying out routine exercise sessions outside a sports complex in the city.
The 62-year-old man, who was undergoing a difficult divorce settlement, proceeded to inflict injuries on himself with a knife before being arrested by the police. It was later established that his failed marriage was the motive behind his actions.
His trial and sentencing took place on Friday.
The death toll marks the highest fatality count from a public attack in China since a series of violent incidents in the Xinjiang region in 2014.
China, with its population of 1.4 billion, typically has one of the lowest violent crime rates in the world. However, reports indicate that the country has witnessed a series of violent incidents recently.
In October, a 50-year-old man was arrested in Beijing after a stabbing near an elementary school injured five people, including children. In September, three people were killed in a knife attack at a Shanghai supermarket, while another incident in Shandong Province involved a bus crashing into a crowd outside a school, killing 11.
