A knife-wielding man went on a rampage with a stolen bus in the southeastern Chinese province on Fujian on Dec. 25. At the time of reporting, 8 individuals have been killed, and 22 others are injured, one in critical condition.
According to the CGTN News Agency, an English branch of the state-run China Central Televison, a man by the surname of Qiu hijacked the bus and ran into pedestrians, moped riders, and taxis. He was detained by police. The police have not confirmed that the bus was hijacked, nor the state of those injured.
The news agency reported that Qiu is unemployed and from Longyan City in Fujian province. He had grievances with the local government’s residential committee about obtaining a Special Assistance Certificate for his father. This certificate is often given to military veterans.
When the officials from the local government branch arrived at his house, an argument arose, and Qiu was reported to have grabbed a knife and stabbed an official to death. According to the Twitter account “Wang Shi’s World,” he then killed a police officer.
Qiu then boarded a city bus and stabbed a female passenger. The other passengers quickly ran off the bus, including the driver, who left the keys in the ignition. Qiu then drove the bus through the city, crashing into mopeds, pedestrians, and two taxis before being finally apprehended by the police.
One eyewitness said that Qiu was shouting about the Chinese Communist Party. “I heard other people say it was about reimbursement for his house getting demolished,” the eyewitness said. “I can’t confirm it, but these things with the Communist Party are hard to be sure about, and they have happened before.”
High-rise apartments, often called houses in China, are commonly demolished by the authorities. Residents typically have no choice but to accept the reimbursement, which is often inadequate, and find new residence.
Ning Hong and Qing’er Gu contributed to this report.
