Man detained over bomb attack on Heilongjiang restaurant

Police yesterday detained a man suspected of setting off an improvised bomb at a fast-food restaurant in Heilongjiang province that injured at least two officers on Sunday, in the latest act of violence blamed on disaffected citizens.

Zhu Shibin, 34, unemployed and from the provincial capital, Harbin , was detained after an 18-hour manhunt, Xinhua reported. He left a bomb made from dismantled firecrackers at a Dico's restaurant in Anda .

Two policemen who rushed to the scene were injured in the blast and remain in hospital, Xinhua added.

They were able to evacuate the premises after the warning and no civilians were hurt.

It was also reported that Zhu had attempted to blackmail the authorities for 100,000 yuan (HK$125,000), although details remain sketchy.

Zhu was detained in nearby Daqing , Xinhua said.

The motive for the crime was not known. Police had said on Sunday that the bombing was a suspected act of revenge, but did not elaborate.

The Heilongjiang Morning Post cited witnesses who saw a man leave a bag inside the restaurant before walking out.

Sunday's blast came amid a nationwide upgrading of security in the wake of a rising number of terror attacks, particularly in restive Xinjiang and Beijing.

While politically motivated violence is on the rise, mostly attributed to Muslim Uygur separatists from Xinjiang, other deadly attacks have been the work of disgruntled citizens acting alone.

Analysts say such attacks are getting more sophisticated as some people seek more violent ways to express their grievances.

Last month, a man in Anhui province who was reportedly denied a government low-income allowance carried out a suicide bomb attack at a village government office, also killing an official.

This came days after a 51-year-old former high-school teacher boarded a crowded bus in Yibin in Sichuan province and set it on fire, killing himself and wounding more than 70 people, including schoolchildren.

In June last year, a street vendor detonated a petrol bomb on a bus in Xiamen in Fujian province, killing himself and nearly four dozen passengers in an act of retaliation against local authorities.