A court in China sentenced a man to death for killing 35 people last month by driving into a crowd, in an attack that sparked national concern about mass killings.
Fan Weiqiu was venting his anger because he was unhappy with his divorce agreement, the court in the southern city of Zhuhai said in handing down the ruling on Friday. The victims were exercising in a sports center. Fan pleaded guilty to endangering public safety by dangerous means, according to a court statement.
Fan's “criminal motive was extremely despicable, the nature of the crime was extremely vile, the means of the crime were particularly cruel, and the consequences of the crime were particularly severe, resulting in great social harm,” the court said.
The attack was one of several in China in late October and November and led Chinese leader Xi Jinping to order local governments to take measures to prevent future “extreme cases.” His order prompted local leaders to vow to examine personal disputes that could trigger attacks, from marital problems to disagreements over inheritance.
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Fan's sentence was the second handed down in quick succession just weeks after the recent attacks, much faster than court cases normally take in China.
Earlier this week, a court handed down a two-year suspended death sentence to a driver who injured 30 people when he plowed into students and parents at a primary school in Hunan province. These sentences are usually commuted to life imprisonment.
The Changde City Court said the driver was venting his frustrations after losing the money he had invested.
These types of attacks on crowds, with a vehicle or a knife, are not new in China, but this fall's avalanche and the high number of victims in the Zhuhai attack renewed attention on the issue. Attackers often vent their anger and frustration over a personal matter in what are known as “revenge against society” crimes.
Chinese authorities keep a tight lid on any reporting of the attacks, censoring videos and witness accounts posted on social media and publishing only basic information, often many hours later.
The death toll in Zhuhai was not announced until 24 hours after the attack. In addition to the 35 people killed, 43 others were injured, police said. The driver, Fan, 62, was found in his vehicle attempting to stab himself with a knife, according to a police statement.
Police set up barricades the day after the attack and banned entry to the sports complex. Instead, the public left bouquets of flowers in an adjacent plaza.
—Associated Press researcher Yu Bing contributed to this report.