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Bomb detonated outside US embassy in Beijing, China Bomb detonated outside US embassy in Beijing
(35 minutes later)
A man detonated a bomb outside the US embassy in Beijing, according to the US state department, injuring himself but no other people. A man has detonated an explosive device outside the US embassy in Beijing, according to the US state department, injuring himself but no one else.
The explosion occurred at the southeast corner of the embassy compound, a heavily fortified structure in northeast Beijing, at around 1pm local time. The explosion occurred at the south-east corner of the embassy compound, a heavily fortified structure in the north-east of the Chinese capital, at about 1pm local time (6am BST).
“According to the embassy’s regional security officer, there was one individual who detonated a bomb. Other than the bomber, no other people were injured and there was no damage to embassy property. The local police responded,” a US embassy spokesperson told the Guardian. A US embassy spokesperson said: “According to the embassy’s regional security officer, there was one individual who detonated a bomb. Other than the bomber, no other people were injured and there was no damage to embassy property. The local police responded.”
Chinese police said the bomber was a 26-year-old man who hurt himself while setting off a small, homemade explosive, according to the Associated Press. Chinese police said in a statement that the suspect was a 26-year-old man who hurt his hand while setting off a small “firecracker-like explosive”.
Police identified him only by his surname Jiang and said he was from the city of Tongliao, in China’s Inner Mongolia. Police identified him only by his surname, Jiang, and said he was from Tongliao, a city in China’s Inner Mongolia region. Police said he had been detained and taken to hospital.
Media reports described a “firecracker-like explosive” and said the bomber had injured his hand. Videos and photos posted on social media earlier on Thursday showed smoke at a crossroads as groups of pedestrians gathered and police surrounded the area, which is home to several embassies. A Chinese police car near the embassy appeared to have been damaged. Witnesses reported hearing the blast.
Earlier on Thursday, videos and photos posted on social media showed smoke filling an intersection as groups of pedestrians gathered and police surrounded the area, home to several embassies. Witnesses reported hearing the blast. A witness who only gave his surname, Li, said he was cleaning the road outside the nearby Japanese embassy at the time of the incident. “I heard the sound of a big explosion and then women screaming,” he said.
A witness who asked only to give his surname, Li, said he was cleaning the road outside the Japanese embassy, about 1km away, at the time of the incident. “I heard the sound of a big explosion and then women screaming,” he said. News of the blast spread quickly on Chinese social media, attracting nearly 1m views before search terms related to the blast were blocked.
News of the blast spread quickly on Chinese social media, garnering nearly a million views before search terms related to the blast were blocked.
💥Something just exploded at the US Embassy in Beijing, China just a few min ago. Smoke everywhere....@CNN @CNBC @CNBCnow @nytimes pic.twitter.com/O8wf3L2Q0V💥Something just exploded at the US Embassy in Beijing, China just a few min ago. Smoke everywhere....@CNN @CNBC @CNBCnow @nytimes pic.twitter.com/O8wf3L2Q0V
The attempted bombing comes as China and the US are locked in an ongoing trade dispute. Within a few hours after the blast, police were ushering journalists away from the scene. Traffic was allowed to flow again, and visa applicants were lining up outside the embassy. The bombing comes as China and the US are locked in a trade dispute.
Earlier, the state-run Global Times said a woman spraying gasoline on herself had been taken away from outside the US embassy on Thursday morning, in what appeared to be a separate incident. A Chinese police car near the embassy appeared to have been damaged, according to Reuters. Within a few hours of the blast, police were ushering journalists away from the scene. Traffic was allowed to flow again and visa applicants were lining up outside the embassy.
The state-run Global Times earlier reported that a woman spraying petrol on herself had been taken away from outside the US embassy on Thursday morning in what appeared to be a separate incident.
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