Child, 2 women injured in China knife attack on Japanese school bus, man held
- All three are being treated for their injuries in hospital while the man is in custody after the Monday incident
A small child and two women were injured when a man armed with a knife attacked a bus used by a Japanese school in Suzhou, eastern China on Monday afternoon, according to Japan’s consulate in Shanghai.
Local police said the case is under investigation, while the Chinese authorities called the attack an “isolated incident” and played down concerns about the attacker’s motive and the potential effect on bilateral relations.
The Gaoxin district police bureau said the 52-year-old man, surnamed Zhou, attacked two Japanese citizens at the bus station before going on to “gravely injure” a Chinese citizen who tried to stop him.
In a statement on its WeChat account, the bureau said one of the Japanese victims had been discharged from hospital while the other is still being treated for minor injuries. Efforts to stabilise the Chinese woman’s injuries are continuing.
Zhou has been detained and the case is being processed, according to the police statement, which made no mention of the ages or gender of the victims.
On Tuesday afternoon, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning expressed “regret” that the attack has taken place, but called it an “isolated incident”.
“Such isolated incidents could happen in any country in the world,” she told the ministry’s daily press conference. “China will take effective measures to protect foreigners in China, just as it protects its own citizens.”