Father Slashes 25 Children in School Siege Horror (from ATSNN)

news.scotsman.com
A father slashed 25 children with a kitchen knife at a school in eastern China and held a nine-year-old girl hostage for an hour before police captured him.

The incident yesterday was the third time in six weeks that a knife attack has been reported at a Chinese school or day-care centre. Earlier attacks left one child dead, injured a total of 42 people and caused widespread concern about safety in schools.

It is not clear whether such violence is increasing or whether communist leaders are letting the entirely state-controlled media report more assaults in schools.

China has suffered rising crime and violence as the government has loosened social controls over the past two decades. Many towns seethe with personal grudges and business disputes, aggravated by wrenching economic and social changes, that can erupt into bombings, poison attacks and other violence.

Most gun ownership in China is illegal but explosives, knives and other weapons are readily available.

In another recent attack, a 41-year-old man slashed 28 children at a day-care centre in the eastern city of Suzhou. Police said he was captured as he was preparing to ignite petrol and homemade explosives.

None of the children was seriously injured.

Police said there was no indication why the man attacked the day-care centre, which mostly served children of migrant workers.


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