A man in a wheelchair set off a homemade explosive inside the Beijing Capital International Airport over the weekend, according to CNN. The man was a petitioner airing his grievances, according to the Chinese state media.
Ji Zhongxing, 34, was hospitalized from injuries to his arm, though the injuries weren't considered life threatening, according to the state run news agency, Xinhua.
The explosive was set off at Terminal three on Saturday evening after Ji was stopped from handing out leaflets "to get attention to his complaints" outside the arrival hall of the airport. He warned people away before setting off the device. He was the only one injured, and flights at the airport were unaffected.
His family was unaware of the bomb. A witness said Ji held the device in his hands, and didn't throw it.
There were photographs posted on Chinese social media site Sina Weibo showed a man wearing a peach shirt while holding a white device. There were also images showing thick smoke in the air at the terminal.
The device was similar to fireworks, according to Xinhua.
Ji said he had been attacked and beaten by security guards outside a police station in 2005 after carrying a passenger on his motorcycle. The incident left him paralyzed, and he petitioned for official compensation. He posted about the incident on his blog in September 2006.
The attack occurred while Ji was working at a factory in Dongguan, a factory town in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong. The provincial authorities said they would look into the alleged unjust treatment, according to the China Daily. The newspaper also reported the Ji was not attacked and was actually injured falling off his motorcycle.
Dongguan authorities gave Ji 100,000 Yuan, equivalent to $16,290, in compensation in 2010, according to police in Ji's home county.
Ji is not the first petitioner to take violent action when frustrated with Chinese authorities. One man tried to petition police and ended up resorting to going into a Shanghai police station where he killed six police officers.
Ji is from Heze city, in Shanghai province, according to his personal blog.
News coverage on the bombing.
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