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Haohao

Guangzhou jittery after false reports of knife, bomb attacks

Posted: 03/17/2014 7:15 am

It was a busy weekend for police, as a series of knife fights and bomb threats broke out Saturday across the province. While all of the threats proved to be false alarms, the reports sent jitters throughout the province in the wake of the Kunming knifing spree just one month ago.

The first incident occurred at a clothing wholesalers’ market in Tianhe district at 8:31a.m., when a suspected thief yelled “knife attack” while being questioned by police . His shout sent onlookers running for their lives, leaving many clothing stores ravaged by the escaping crowds:

Clothes trampled by crowds. photo credit: Sina weibo user 洞庭西居士

The second, unrelated incident occurred in Liwan district at 12:20 p.m., when a fight broke out. The public scattered in panic, causing a bottle-neck in the hallway, the Jinyang Net reported on March 15, citing a statement by the city’s police bureau.

Later, in Haifeng County in Shanwei, a suspected bomb was reportedly placed in front of a McDonald’s in Lantian Square. The police arrived and cordoned the scene; but, soon discovered it was a false alarm. “It’s not a real bomb. We suspect it’s a vicious prank. The police are looking into the case now,” said one officer, quoted by Yangcheng Evening News on Sunday.

Here are some images of the scenes from the Lantian square and the “bombing device”:

Police cordoned the suspected area at Lantian Square. Photo credit: Sina weibo user 匿名告白在仁荣中学

The suspected bombing device placed in Lantian Square. Photo credit: 海丰吧

Similar rumours of knife attacks were also heard in Chengdu in Southwestern Sichuan Province. Last week, six people died as a result of a knife fight between two Uighur food vendors in Changsha, central Hunan Province.

Reverberations of the Kunming attack are expected to continue across the country, and it will likely take some time to calm the public’s nerves.

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