Explosive detonated outside US embassy

A 26-YEAR-OLD Chinese man set of f a small explosive outside the US embassy in Beiji ng on T hu rsday, send i ng smoke into t he air and injuring his hand before securit y of f icia ls rushed to t he scene a nd took him into custody, police said.

Chinese police said no one else was injured in the incident, which took place near the area where visa applicants typically line up to enter the embassy for interviews.

The explosion was set off by a man from China’s Inner Mongolia region surnamed Jiang, police said, adding that his injuries were not lifethreatening.

Police did not indicate a possible motive.

Video clips that circulated on social media shortly after the explosion showed smoke in the air outside the embassy compound, and AFP journalists arriving at the scene found heavy Chinese security.

“We heard a rat her strong ex plosion a rou nd 1: 00 pm (0500 GMT) so we went out on t he street to have a look, but ver y soon the police had cordoned of f t he a rea,” sa id a wit ness who declined to be identif ied.

‘Quick police reaction’

Police quick ly cordoned off the spot where the blast took pl ac e, a nd Ch i na’s s t at e - censorship appa ratus moving swift ly to block searches for “US Embassy ” on t he popu la r Tw it ter-l i ke Weibo platform.

AFP journalists said the visa office adjacent to where the blast took place appeared to have resumed operation not long after the incident.

“I heard a loud ‘bang’, and then we all craned our heads to see what it was,” said a man surnamed Liu, who was waiting outside the embassy at the time.

“It seemed [the police] reacted pretty quickly, like they were prepared.”

The area where the incident took place is on the outskirts of Beijing and home to several embassies, including those of India and Israel.

China regularly sees cases of disgruntled individuals lashing out at society over various grievances or perceived injustices, often harming themselves or others.

In one of the worst recent incidents, a bomb blast killed eight people and injured dozens of others outside a kindergarten in eastern China in June of last year.

Police blamed it on a 22-yearold man who was suffering from health problems.