A man who allegedly attempted to kill family members with grenades after a row has been arrested by police in Guangxi province. Lu Tingwei, 45, was detained in an ambush on Thursday after a massive manhunt in Fangcheng city. China News Service yesterday reported that police in the port city had mobilised up to 5,000 men to hunt down the suspect after the two grenade attacks last Monday. The semi-official agency said the blasts occurred in the city's Natong village after the suspect argued with his uncle, Lu Kuilin, over the building of a methane pool near his house. Methane is often used for fuel in rural areas. Last Monday night, 62-year-old Lu Kuilin was at home with his sons, Lu Tingshang and Lu Tingan, and the son of the suspect, Lu Shaoqi, when the first grenade was thrown into his home. Lu Tingwei lives next door to his uncle. Police immediately came to investigate. The police officer in charge of the probe, Jiang Yunchao, was leading half a dozen officers into the home to interview Lu Tingwei when a second grenade exploded. Three officers were injured in the blast. The two attacks greatly alarmed senior police officers in Fangcheng city and they immediately despatched an 80-strong task force to Natong village. After a brief investigation, police immediately focused their inquiries on Lu Tingwei, who had not been seen since the two explosions occurred. The suspect was spotted by residents of the village on Wednesday and authorities mobilised more than 5,000 men in an attempt to apprehend him before he could flee the area. Early on Thursday morning, seven police officers who were guarding a village path spotted a man who resembled the suspect. And before Lu Tingwei was able to detonate a third hand grenade he was carrying, he was overpowered by the officers and arrested. The China News Service report did not indicate how Lu Tingwei had got hold of the hand grenades. Controls over weapons such as shotguns and grenades are loose in China and it has been widely reported that criminals can easily purchase large quantities of firearms and explosives.
