China`s paralysed airport bomber sentenced to 6 yrs

Beijing: A wheelchair bound Chinese taxi driver was today sentenced to six years in jail for detonating home made explosives at the Beijing international airport to highlight police brutality that partly paralysed him. Ji Zhongxing, 33, who lost one of his hands while setting home made explosives the Beijing Capital International Airport in July, was sentenced to six years in jail, according to a court ruling by the Beijing Chaoyang District Court. Ji alleged that he was badly beaten by police in his native place in Shandong province which left him paralysed and confined him to wheelchair. He was jailed for causing an explosion in a public place, according to the court ruling.

Ji, a native of east China`s Shandong Province, lost his hand while detonating the explosives at Terminal 3. A police officer at the scene suffered minor injuries in the explosion. According to the court, Ji handed out leaflets that read "paying off old scores" at an arrival exit for international tourists, held the explosive device high for passersby to see, and ignited it when a police officer tried to stop him. The explosion caused chaos at the scene and forced the closure of the arrivals exit and evacuation of passengers. Ji, who appeared on a stretcher in the courtroom said he needed to consider the judicial process to appeal against the verdict. Ji once worked in the southern province of Guangdong. For 10 years, he has been petitioning about alleged unjust treatment that resulted in his paralysis, according to a police investigation. His case which widely evoked sympathy from Chinese netizens reflected seething anger prevailing in sections of the society which suffered due to highhanded approach of the officials. China has witnessed several knife attacks by desperate and disgruntled men on passersby and school children to went out their anger and frustration. Ji received a minor sentence because he warned people to stay away from him at the scene of the blast and confessed his crimes in the court, state-run Xinhua quoted the court ruling as saying. According to the country`s criminal law, anyone who causes an explosion or uses other means to endanger public security without causing serious consequences shall be sentenced to a fixed-term imprisonment of no less than three years but no more than 10 years.