Chinese student stabs two classmates to death and injures four because of bullying

A junior high school student went on a stabbing rampage in southern China, killing two classmates and wounding four in an apparent rage over bullies who demanded a protection fee from him, local media said Thursday.

Photo: Chinese student stabs two classmates to death and injures four because of bullying

Wu Jianguo, 17, attacked his classmates in a stairwell of the Dianbai County No. 3 Middle School in Guangdong province on Tuesday night when students were gathered for a study session, China Central Television reported during its regular noon broadcast.

The NewExpress, a local Guangdong paper, reported on its Web site that Wu was angry because classmates had demanded he pay them protection money.

Wu allegedly used a small knife for sharpening pencils in the attack. All the victims were boys but it was not immediately clear if they were the same students who allegedly threatened Wu, it said. The four wounded boys were in stable condition, the paper said.

Wu's parents took him to a local police station to turn himself in Tuesday night and he confessed, it said.

Wu's father, Wu Yunfang, was quoted as saying his son was a shy boy who never brought friends home, and who frequently had cuts and bruises on his face and hands that the family believed he got from fighting at school.

Wu's father said the boy claimed he got the injuries playing basketball.

China has witnessed a series of attacks in schools over the past several years, usually involving knives, which are often blamed on personal grudges or people with psychiatric problems.

The central government has responded by ordering schools throughout the country to hire guards and take other steps to tighten security.