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Beijing Airport Bomber Injured Only Himself

A man in a wheelchair set off a homemade bomb in Beijing’s airport on Saturday, injuring only himself in what appears to be a desperate act of protest. The man, identified as 34-year-old Ji Zhongxing, had been handing out leaflets complaining about his treatment at the hands of the Chinese government, but passersby ignored him, and according to Xinhua, authorities told him to stop. The blast happened at about 6:30 p.m. in the area of the airport where arriving international travelers exit. “The operations at the airport have not been affected as the airport opened new exits for passengers, the airport said,” Xinhua reported. No flights were affected, the Associated Press reports. Ji injured his arm when he allegedly set off the bomb, which official media have described as a package of black powder used to make fireworks.

One witness told the AP: “Since there was no second explosion, many people took out their phones and gathered near the explosion spot to take photos.” Shanghaiist did a good job of rounding those up.

It wasn’t immediately clear what Ji was protesting, but a 2006 blog post bearing his name and birthday, and originating from his hometown reportedly said he had been paralyzed when security personnel in the the southern province of Guangdong beat him with a steel tube. He’s been trying to get the Chinese government to compensate him for his injuries ever since, but to no avail.

Beijing Airport Bomber Injured Only Himself