In a brutal incident, four US college tutors suffered injuries after they were "brutally assaulted" in China's public park.
Tourists walk past a gateway with the name "Beishan" seen at the Beishan Park in northeastern China's Jilin province on Jan 23, 2020.
Four instructors from Iowa's Cornell College teaching at Beihua University in northeastern China were attacked in the Beishan public park, reportedly with a knife on June 11, 2024.
Meanwhile, Cornell College President Jonathan Brand issued a statement, revealing that the instructors were accompanied by a Beihua University's faculty member.
According to Cornell spokesman Jen Visser, a private school in Mount Vernon collaborated with Beihua University in Jilin City in eastern China.
In a brutal incident, four US college tutors suffered injuries after they were "brutally assaulted" in China's public park. Tourists walk past a gateway with the name "Beishan" seen at the Beishan Park in northeastern China's Jilin province on Jan 23, 2020. Four instructors from Iowa's Cornell College teaching at Beihua University in northeastern China were attacked in the Beishan public park, reportedly with a knife on June 11, 2024.(Zhu Wanchang/CNS Photos via AP)
The videos circulating on social media shows one woman and two men, one of whom was soaked in blood, laying on the ground at Beishan Park in central Jilin, which hosts numerous temples.
The instructors were rushed to a hospital following the unprovoked attack and they are being treated for their injuries, which are not life-threatening.
Meanwhile, Cornell College President Jonathan Brand issued a statement, revealing that the instructors were accompanied by a Beihua University's faculty member. According to Cornell spokesman Jen Visser, a private school in Mount Vernon collaborated with Beihua University in Jilin City in eastern China.
The degree of their injuries, and whether it was a targetted or random attack remained unknown. Visser informed that college authorities are still gathering information regarding the incident.
Reacting to Hinson's post, one user wrote: “Anti-foreigner hate propaganda is at an all-time high on China’s social media. Ultra-nationalists blame everything on foreigners.”
“The government does absolutely nothing to address hate, knife attacks, vehicular attacks, etc. Every country should put up a travel warning to China.”
Commenting on the incident, representative Ashley Hinson of Iowa remarked, that she is "horrified" and her team is in touch with Cornell College and will do everything possible to their safe return.
“Fomenting a lot of nationalism and anti-foreigner hatred probably has a lot to do with it as well,” one more reacted.
Iowa Representative Adam Zabner informed that his brother, David, was among those assaulted in China. He claimed that the four had visited a local temple on Monday when an assailant stabbed them with a knife.
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Chinese Police confirms arrest of suspect
Meanwhile, Chinese Police and Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed the incident, with the arrets of the suspect.
The Public Security Bureau of Jilin's Chuanying district said a 55-year-old man named Cui was apprehended on charges of stabbing and four Americans and a Chinese tourist who attempted to halt the crime.
The unprecedented attack on Americans comes as China attempts to mend ties with the US and reinvigorate tourism to help bolster its lagging economy following three years of isolation due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
A State Department representative said that US authorities were aware of the reports and were keeping track of the situation, but did not elaborate further.
The cops have tentatively established that this is an isolated event and are now carrying out additional investigations.
The number of US citizens studying in China has declined dramatically in the last 10 years. According to US figures, there are about 300,000 Chinese students studying in the US and less than 900 Americans pursuing their studies in China.
