A Japanese woman and her child were injured in a knife attack at a school bus stop in China's Suzhou city, said a spokesperson for the Japanese Embassy on Tuesday. A man stabbed a woman and a child at a bus stop for a Japanese school, and then seriously injured a Chinese woman on the bus who tried to block him when tried to get on.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that the man was arrested at the scene following the Monday afternoon attack, as per a report by the Associated Press.
“It is a regrettable incident,” Mao said. “China will continue to take effective measures to earnestly protect the safety of all foreigners in China,” she added.
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The Japanese Embassy spokesperson said that the motive behind the attack was unclear and an investigation is underway into the incident.
The injured Chinese woman was being treated at a hospital, said the Foreign Ministry spokesperson and the injuries to the Japanese mother and child were not serious, the AP report stated.
“The investigation of the case is ongoing, and the criminal behaviour will be severely punished in accordance with the law and regulations,” said the police in a statement.
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The Japanese Embassy sent an email to Japanese nationals living in China warning them to take precautions as stabbing incidents have occurred in various parts of China in public places including parks, schools, and subways.
Earlier this month, four US university instructors were stabbed by a Chinese man at a public park in Jilin in the northeast, as well as a Chinese person who tried to intervene. The four instructors from Cornell College were teaching at Beihua University and none were in critical condition.
Police believe that the two attacks were isolated incidents, Mao said.