China has killed a man in a car attack that killed dozens

China has executed a man found guilty of killing at least 35 people in a car bombing in November, which is believed to be the deadliest in the country in a decade.

Fan Weiqiu, 62, injured dozens while he he drove his car to people who were exercising outside a stadium in the southern city of Zhuhai.

State media said a second man was killed in another incident that happened days later. Xu Jiajin, 21, killed eight people in one place stabbing at his university in the eastern city of Wuxi.

Authorities say Fan was motivated by “dissatisfaction” with the way his property was divided following his divorce, while Xu attacked after “not receiving his diplomas due to poor exam results”.

The fan was taken into custody at the scene on November 11, where police say he was found unresponsive.

In December, he was found guilty of “endangering public safety”, with the Zhuhai People’s Court describing his motive as “extremely evil” and the methods used as “particularly cruel”.

His execution on Monday took place less than a month after the court sentenced him to death.

In Xu’s case, police said he confessed to his crime without hesitation on November 16. He was sentenced to death on 17 December, with the court hearing that the circumstances of his case were “extremely bad” and “extremely bad”.

Human rights organizations believe that China leads the world in killing thousands of people every year. The country does not release data on its use of the death penalty, so reliable numbers are not available.

China has been plagued by a spate of communal violence, with many attackers believed to be motivated by ambition. “revenge on society” – when perpetrators target strangers for their grievances.

The number of such attacks across China has reached 19 by 2024.

Within days of Zhuhai and Wuxi’s attack, a man drove a car between the children and their parents outside a primary school in the city of Changde, 30 were injured.

Authorities said the man, Huang Wen, wanted to vent his anger after facing financial losses and family disputes.

Huang was there he imposed a suspended death sentence last month, he could be sentenced to life in prison if he does not commit another crime in the next two years.

Analysts previously told the BBC that the series of mass killings raised questions about how the Chinese people were coping with various sources of stress, such as the country’s sluggish economy.

“Tensions seem to be escalating, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to ease any time soon,” said George Magnus, an economist at Oxford University’s China Center.