Tiananmen Car Crash Labeled a Terrorist Attack, Eight Suspects Arrested

Monday's car crash and explosion in Tiananmen Square has been declared a "terrorist attack," Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau (PSB) announced on its Weibo page late Wednesday.

"Police have preliminarily confirmed that the 'October 28' incident was a premeditated and well-organized terrorist attack. Five suspects have been arrested," Beijing PSB said. Three suspected terrorists in the car and two bystanders on the sidewalk were killed, along with 40 injuries, the statement said.

The suspects have been identified as being from the Xinjiang Autonomous Region, in China's northwest.

Security entering the city through provincial border crossing Wednesday was tight, with almost every car bearing non-Beijing license plates being stopped for inspection, a Beijinger editor observed.

Other official news outlets echoed the report. "Police have captured the suspects who crashed a car into a marble pillar in front of Tian'anmen Rostrum on Monday. The arrests were made 10 hours after the incident, which has now been identified as a terrorist attack," CCTV News said on its Weibo page.

The blast was the second explosion at a major Beijing location this year. In July, a Shandong man protesting his alleged mistreatment by various parties in Dongguan, Guangdong province, set off a homemade explosive, injuring himself, but causing no other casualties. The man, Ji Zhongxing, was arrested and normal operations resumed within hours. Ji was sentenced earlier this month to six years in prison.

In late July, a Beijing PSB officer offered the Beijinger readers tips on how to protect themselves and respond to possible emergencies.

Image: USAToday.com