Knife attack at a vocational school in eastern China leaves eight dead and 17 injured

According to local police, a knife attack occurred at a vocational school in the eastern Chinese city of Wuxi on Saturday, resulting in 8 deaths and 17 injuries. The attack took place at the Wuxi Vocational Art College in Yixing, a city under the jurisdiction of Wuxi, at approximately 6:30 p.m. local time, Yixing police said in a statement.

Police stated that the suspect, a 21-year-old male student surnamed Xu, was apprehended at the scene. According to the police, Xu failed to graduate due to failing exams and was dissatisfied with his wages during his internship. The statement said that he decided to vent his frustrations through the attack.

Videos circulating on Western social media platforms like X showed injured individuals lying on the street after the attack, with others rushing to help. However, on Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo, keyword searches for the attack only yielded the police statement, with no videos or images related to the attack appearing. The Chinese government frequently censors internet content deemed too sensitive or political.

Most Western social media websites and search engines, including Google, are blocked by a network censorship system commonly known as the "Great Firewall," which controls what content can be accessed within China. This attack follows another deadly incident just a week prior in the southern city of Zhuhai, where a man drove a vehicle into a crowd at a sports facility, killing 35 and injuring 43. China has experienced several attacks in which suspects appeared to randomly target the public.

In October of this year, a man was detained for allegedly attacking children with a knife at a school in Beijing, injuring five. In September, a knife attack at a supermarket in Shanghai resulted in 3 deaths and 15 injuries. Police stated at the time that the suspect had personal financial disputes and came to Shanghai to "vent his anger." In the same month, a Japanese student was stabbed to death while on his way to school in the southern city of Shenzhen.