Beijing — China has executed two men who committed deadly attacks that killed dozens in November, raising concerns about a surge in what are called “revenge on society crimes,” state media reported Monday.
Fan Weiqu, 62, who authorities said rammed his car into a crowd outside a sports stadium in the southern city of Zhuhai, killing at least 35 people ahd seriously injuring at least 43 more, was executed on Monday. The attack was the country’s deadliest in over a decade, according to authorities, and came on the eve of the country’s premier aviation exhibition by the People’s Liberation Army that’s hosted annually in the city. Police said Fan was upset over his divorce settlement.
Tingshu Wang / REUTERS
Also in November, 21-year-old Xu Jiajin killed eight people and injured 17 others in a stabbing attack at his vocational school in the eastern city of Wuxi. Police said Wu had failed his examinations and could not graduate, and was dissatisfied about his pay at an internship. He was also executed on Monday, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
The two men’s death sentences were issued by the intermediate people’s courts in the cities of Zhuhai and Wuxi, respectively, in December and approved by the Supreme People’s Court, according to state media.
The killings spurred Chinese President Xi Jinping to urge local governments to take measures to prevent such attacks, known as “revenge on society crimes.” Â
China has seen a number of attacks in which suspects appear to target random people, including schoolchildren. In October, a 50-year-old man was detained after he allegedly used a knife to attack children at a school in Beijing. Five people were injured. In September, three people were killed in a knife attack in a Shanghai supermarket. Â
China is believed to execute more prisoners each year than the rest of the world combined, though the precise total is classified a state secret. Executions are traditionally carried out by gunshot, though lethal injections have also been introduced in recent years.