Four U.S. college professors suffered injuries after they were stabbed while visiting a park in China. The incident is considered a rare case of violent crime against foreign individuals in the country.
Police revealed on Tuesday the arrest of a suspect, identified only by his last name, Cui. According to the authorities, the 55-year-old man from Longtan district collided with a foreigner while walking at the park, and the incident allegedly led to the stabbing of the instructors. In addition, there was also a Chinese citizen who was stabbed trying to help the victims.
The four professors were from Cornell College, a private liberal arts college in Iowa. According to the college, they were participating in a partnership program with Beihua University, a school in Jilin City in northeastern China. They are being treated for non-life threatening injuries.
Cornell College President Jonathan Brand said that he have been in contact with all four instructors and that they are receiving the assistance that they need. He also described the attack as a "serious incident."
CNN noted that footage of the attack was uploaded on social media on Monday, but was quickly censored by the Chinese government. The video showed that the attack happened in broad daylight, and lying on the ground were two men and a woman with visibly large blood stains. The video showed that the victims were talking on their phones. Around them were also curious onlookers.
CNN was able to geolocate the video and it pointed to Beishan Park, a popular destination among locals and foreigners alike in Jilin City. It's a 30-minute drive from the park from the university, and Monday was a public holiday in the country.
NBC News reported that U.S. officials were already informed about the incident and that they are closely monitoring the situation. The spokesperson for the State Department did not add any further information on the subject.
It was on Tuesday that the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed the incident. There was also noticeable number of hours of silence from Chinese authorities after the incident before the confirmation.
