No other details were provided, and the exact location of the incident was not released. It is believed the incident happened at about 7am.
Haidian is one of Beijing’s busiest districts and is home to several prestigious universities and research institutions.
Such incidents are extremely rare in the capital, which is home to most serving and retired state leaders. It is arguably the most heavily-policed city in the country. Security measures are often ramped up in Beijing before key political gatherings or events, or after incidents seen as a threat to the government.
Security measures were stepped up in late November following demonstrations in major Chinese cities, including Beijing, calling for a relaxation of Covid-19 controls.
Before the “two sessions” in March, security measures were tightened further with an extra layer of security checks at all entry points to the city, on top of nationwide security checks, which had already been put in place.
While any violent incident receives extra attention from authorities, public discussions about such events are usually highly restricted.
In January 2019, a worker at a Beijing primary school struck 20 students with a hammer. Beijing police later said the attacker had vented his frustrations over an expired labour contract.
In May this year, a 16-year-old high school student in Beijing’s Tongzhou district was detained after allegedly assaulting a classmate and two teachers at school after killing two neighbours and beating his mother. The police did not comment on a motive for the attacks. Media outlets did not report on it, and have only reposted police briefings.
