Blasts set off ‘to seek attention’
Print Edition
A man accused of setting off homemade explosives in Pudong airport last June said at his trial he just wanted to attract attention.
Zhou Xingbai, 30, was accused by prosecutors of hurling explosive devices at passengers to revenge himself on society. He pleaded guilty at Shanghai No.3 Intermediate People’s Court yesterday.
Zhou, a migrant worker from southwest China’s Guizhou Province, said he had become upset last May after his sister called him, telling him that their father was severely ill and blaming him for not caring for their parents.
Zhou said he felt depressed and decided to commit suicide. But first he wanted the public to hear about his misery, which was why he decided to set off an explosion. He told the court he targeted Pudong International Airport, a busy international traffic hub, to make an “influential blast.”
Zhou expressed his regrets to the court, repeatedly saying “sorry” in a faint voice. He had tried to commit suicide by slashing his neck after the blast. Scars could still be seen on his neck yesterday.
Prosecutors said Zhou had bought fireworks at his rental residence in Shanghai’s neighboring Kunshan City last June 9. He removed the gunpowder and poured it into three empty beer bottles to create explosive devices. On June 12, he took a bus to Shanghai, and managed to enter the airport.
Zhou said he saw about 20 to 30 passengers queuing to check in at the airport’s T2 building. He lit the explosives and threw his homemade explosives at them, causing injuries to three people as well as shattering an airport window.
“I had been so scared. But I did it after I drank alcohol,” he told the court.
Monitoring videos showed that after the blast, he took out a dagger and slashed his neck, at which point a passenger pushed him down and saved him from further injuring himself. Zhou said he had lost consciousness at the scene.
Prosecutors said Zhou detonated the explosives in public so as to get revenge on the society, harming public safety by doing so.
According to Legal Daily website, Zhou’s relatives said he had failed to get along with people and owed gambling debts. It was alleged that he had noted on WeChat: “I would rather die in a crazy fashion than live like the walking dead.”
The court did not issue a verdict yesterday.
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