Shanghai court hears airport blast case

SHANGHAI - A Shanghai court Wednesday began hearing the case of a man charged with setting off a homemade bomb in Shanghai Pudong International Airport in June.

The hearing began at Shanghai No 3 Intermediate People's Court, where the suspect Zhou Xingbai made an appearance.

Procurators filed charges against Zhou of causing an explosion to endanger public security, without causing serious consequences.

Zhou set off a homemade explosive device in beer bottle at a check-in counter in Terminal 2 at 2:26 pm on June 12, 2016. Four passengers, including a Philippine national, were slightly injured by flying glass, and a few flights were affected.

He cut his own throat with a knife at the airport, but was taken to hospital for medical treatment.

Zhou, 29, from Southwest China's Guizhou province, became a migrant worker in 2006 after finishing middle school.

He has allegedly been addicted to online gambling since 2014, squandering his savings and living in heavy debt. On his WeChat account, he wrote that he owed many people money and was going to do something "very crazy."

Zhou has no mental illness and should take full criminal responsibility for his actions, according to the Institute of Forensic Science under Ministry of Justice.

Zhou confessed to the crime in the hearing. The judgement will be announced soon.