77-year-old's grenade attack on Chinese bus fails after explosive flop

[DefJam]

77-year-old's grenade attack on Chinese bus fails after explosive flop

PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 13 January, 2015, 11:52am
UPDATED : Tuesday, 13 January, 2015, 1:28pm

Chris Luo [email protected]

A man tried to detonate a grenade in a suicide attack attempt on a bus in Zhejiang because he was disgruntled with the driver, Chinese media reported on Tuesday.

Jinhua resident Wang Shichao, 77, went on trial on Monday for allegedly causing an explosion on the bus in the district of Wucheng last October.

CCTV footage taken inside the bus showed Wang approach the driver’s seat from behind and throw the stick grenade, causing a modest blast and a flurry of white smoke as the detonator set off.

The stick grenade Wang attempted to set off fell apart on the bus.

Luckily the main explosive in the grenade head did not ignite. The stick grenade, an antique Wang had concealed in his basement for years, was old and defective. It fell apart – a metal plate and a short wooden stick fell on the floor – failing to cause damage or injury.

Wang was quickly subdued by other passengers on the half-empty bus before police arrived at the scene and arrested him.

During his trial at the Wucheng District People’s Court, Wang said he was angry with the driver because he had not stopped precisely at the bus stop on a previous occasion.

Resentful, Wang went home and dug out the grenade. He took it to the bus on an afternoon in October, the court heard, and attempted to detonate it next to the driver’s seat.

“I was too impulsive, only wanting to die together with the bus driver,” local media quoted Wang as telling the court as he pleaded guilty to the allegations.

Wang’s attorney asked for leniency, citing Wang’s age, poor health, that it was his first offence and the lack of causalities or loss of property.

The court would deliver its sentence at a later date, the report said.