China executes man who killed 35 people in car attack

Chinese man executed for deadly car attack in Zhuhai; motive linked to divorce, amid rising public violence.

Chinese authorities on Monday (January 20, 2025) executed a 62-year-old man who drove his car into people exercising outside a stadium last year, killing 35 people and injuring over 40, according to a media report.

Fan Weiqiu, who was stated to be angry over the division of the property after his divorce, carried out the attack a day before the Chinese military held its prestigious air show in Zhuhai City.

He was executed less than a month after a court sentenced him to death.

The Zhuhai Intermediate People's Court held a public trial of Fan for the crime of endangering public safety by dangerous means in accordance with the law, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The court termed his motive "extremely vile" and "the methods" used by him "particularly cruel".

China has been grappling with a spate of public violence of late. The incidents are routinely blamed on disgruntled elements by security officials.

In July this year, eight people were killed and five others injured after a vehicle crashed into pedestrians in Changsha City, the capital of central China's Hunan province.