Petition man with explosives arrested

CRI, January 28, 2011

A man, who was caught taking explosive materials to Beijing for a petition, has been approved of arrest after one month of detention. He is accused of causing an accident with dangerous goods, the Beijing Times reported Wednesday.

The prosecution said the man surnamed Hou, 35, was found carrying a set of crossbows, two self-made explosive devices and gunpowder weighing 1,019 g inside his car.

Hou from northeast China's Liaoning Province claimed that he came to the capital to petition because he had been "tracked" and "framed up".

He confessed that, if he failed in the petition, he would detonate the device at public places to arouse attention.

One month earlier, Hou refused to pay for petrol at a gas station and hurt an employee with the crossbow at the Beijing-Harbin expressway's Tianjin section. After breaking through several toll gates he was stopped by police at Beijng's West Dawang Road.