A paralysed man in a wheelchair set off an explosion at the Beijing International Airport, injuring himself and causing panic at the at the spanking airport. The 34,year-old Ji Zhongxing, allegedly got paralysed after being assaulted by police previously, set off an explosive device made from materials used in firecrackers and the resulting blast led to his left arm being amputated later.He detonated the device after he was stopped from handing out leaflets to draw attention to his complaints.
Ji lost his arm after he was rushed to a hospital but suffered no life-threatening injuries, local media reported.Pictures of Ji on Sina Weibo microblogging site – showing him throwing up his arms with a white object in his hand – went viral soon after the explosion at 6.24 pm local time.The explosion created panic in the airport.Ji, hailing from the northeastern Shandong province, fell off the wheelchair and sustained injuries.
Reports said Ji set off the crude bomb to highlight the violent treatment allegedly meted out to him by police that paralysed him.He reportedly set off the low-intensity device at the arrival terminal, where there are fewer security checks, to highlight his plight. His identification scotched rumours that the blast was a terrorist attack.The police cordon at the arrivals terminal exit was later removed and the airport resumed normal services, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
State-run CCTV reported that soon after the explosion, some Uygur Muslims from restive Xinjiang province were stopped from travelling in the airport. Xinjiang has been witnessing riots and militant attacks during the past few years as the Uygurs have been protesting about the increasing settlements of Han Chinese.
Chinese police in recent months have claimed to have foiled hijacking attempts by the separatist East Turkisatan Islamic Movement, which has become active in the province in recent years.
He was reportedly beaten by police when he was petitioning about personal problem in the past.Last month, a Chinese man ignited a bus with gasoline in Xiamen city killing himself and 46 others. He was aggrieved over denial of pension.The government Saturday suspended six police officials in Chenzhou city for beating a watermelon vendor to death when he attempted to sell fruits at a forbidden spot.Hundreds of petitioners who flock to Beijing are meted out rough treatment by police to prevent them from accessing top officials and leaders.
