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Authorities deny terror link: String of package bombings continues in China amid holidays
SHANGHAI — China’s National Day festivities were soured Thursday by another parcel bombing in the country’s south, leading Beijing to keep a tight rein on information about the incidents to prevent unrest.
The blast early Thursday morning occurred in a residential area of Liuzhou, in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It came on the heels of a series of bombings elsewhere in the area Wednesday.
The state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that a six-story residential building was damaged by the explosion, scattering rubble on the street. No one was killed or injured in the blast, Xinhua wrote.
Liuzhou authorities said Wednesday night that the blasts were caused by explosives enclosed in packages delivered by post, and named a 33-year-old local man as a suspect. An accomplice was employed to send the parcels, authorities said.
More than 60 packages suspected of containing explosives have been recovered, local media reported. The blast Thursday morning may have been caused by an unrecovered bomb. An explosives disposal team has been dispatched in case other bombs remain in the area. Local post offices have suspended home parcel deliveries until Saturday.
This indiscriminate mailing of package bombs is unprecedented in China. With the country’s sheer size contributing to the widespread use of online retail, package deliveries have become commonplace, making this incident all the more shocking to Chinese society.
In addition to the National Day holiday, a ceremony was held Thursday to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. Some raised the possibility that Uighurs may have been involved in the attacks, but police have said the incidents are not terrorist acts.
However, neither the suspect’s motives nor the reason he was fingered as a suspect have been disclosed. The swift denial of terrorism as a possibility was likely part of Beijing’s efforts to control the flow of information to maintain stability. The bombings have left at least seven dead, 51 injured and two missing.
Authorities deny terror link: String of package bombings continues in China amid holidays
