Homemade Bomb Used in Deadly Attack Outside Chinese Kindergarten

A deadly bomb exploded right outside a kindergarten in Xuzhou, China Thursday afternoon, killing eight, including the suspect, and injuring 65 others.

The attacker has been identified as a 22-year-old man with the surname Xu, investigators said Friday. The suspect was identified by using security footage and DNA left at the scene of the blast, which occurred at 4:50 p.m., as family members waited to pick up students at the Chuangxin Kindergarten. No teachers or students were among the casualties, according to authorities.

Investigators discovered materials used to construct homemade bombs inside of Xu’s apartment, which also had Chinese characters for death, disaster and other disturbing themes written on the walls.

Xu had apparently left school because of a nervous system disorder. He had symptoms such as depression, anxiety, dizziness, vision impairments and problems with basic bodily functions, police revealed at a Xuzhou news conference.

Videos of the scene depict children, who were either passers-by or possibly relatives to the students, among some of the casualties.

The People’s Daily shared video footage of a disastrous scene, where children and adults were lying on the ground, struggling to get up. The blast had caused the clothing and items of the victims to be scattered across the area that also contained pools of blood.

A motive for the attack is still unclear. However, this has been the second tragedy to occur at a kindergarten within recent weeks among a pattern of violence occurring over the years.

Just last month, 11 children were killed when a bus filled with kindergarteners ignited into flames inside a tunnel in eastern Shandong province. The suspect was identified as the driver of the bus, who purposely caused the fire that he also died from.

In 2010, almost 20 children were killed in school-related attacks, which prompted government officials to take stricter security measures, such as hiring guards and installing gates and other protection barriers. Last year, an assailant attacked and injured seven students with a knife outside a primary school in a northern city.

China’s tight control over firearms leaves many attacks carried out by knives, axes or homemade explosives.

Featured Image via Public Domain Pictures