BEIJING — The brutal killing of at least three children and a teacher at a school in northeastern China had residents confounded and authorities tight- lipped Wednesday.
A man identified by state media as Fang Jiantang, 26, reportedly attacked kindergarten students and teachers with a knife Tuesday in a suburb of Zibo, Shandong province, killing four and injuring 20 staff and children. The man turned himself in to police, according to Singtao Daily, a Hong Kong newspaper. A 2-foot-long knife believed to be the weapon was recovered. No motive has been established.
The attack was the seventh rampage in China since March. Almost all the cases involved young children targeted by middle-age men with household tools such as knives, axes, hammers and, in one instance, gasoline. The Zibo killings were not the deadliest but raised new concerns that the government was not making enough effort to stop the attacks.
In recent months, security has increased at schools. After the first spate of attacks, local authorities armed teachers with pepper spray and asked that they be instructed in self- defense. National authorities got involved when the violence continued, issuing mandates for schools to hire police officers and sending out armed troops to escort children to school.
Now, gates and cameras have been installed at schools around the country. Teachers are reported to be trained in martial arts, and some schools have hired undercover security guards posing as parents. The government has also issued stern warnings to future assailants.
According to some reports, Tuesday’s assault at the Bo shan District Experimental Kindergarten’s Jinfengyuan branch occurred when security guards were on break. The primary school is considered to be the best in the area, attended by several children of local officials.
