Knife Attack at Chinese School Kills 8, Injures 17

The suspect, 21-year-old Xu, a student at the school, was apprehended at the scene by police. Authorities said Xu had been struggling with academic pressures after failing his exams and was frustrated by his unpaid internship. In an apparent act of rage, he targeted his classmates and others on campus.

Social media videos shared on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) depicted the chaos in the aftermath of the attack, showing victims lying on the ground as bystanders attempted to assist. However, Chinese platforms like Weibo only shared a brief police statement, with no images or videos, likely due to the country's censorship laws. This contrasts with the situation in the West, where videos of the incident circulated widely. China's stringent internet controls, known as the "Great Firewall," also restrict access to many Western platforms, including Google and Twitter.

This attack is the second deadly incident in China in less than a week. Earlier, a man drove into a crowd at a sports facility in Zhuhai, southern China, killing 35 people and injuring 43 others. Random public attacks have become an increasing concern in the country. In October, a man was arrested for stabbing five children at a school in Beijing, while in September, a knife attack at a supermarket in Shanghai claimed three lives and injured 15 others. The suspect in the Shanghai incident reportedly had financial disputes and sought to "vent his anger" during the attack.

Such incidents have raised alarm over public safety and mental health issues in China, as the frequency of violent acts appears to be rising.