35-year-old man arrested after knife attack injures several people in Guangzhou, China

A 35-year-old man has been arrested after a knife attack outside a hotpot restaurant in Guangzhou’s Panyu district left several people injured on Monday (14 September), according to local police.

The Panyu branch of the Guangzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau said it received emergency calls at about 5.20pm reporting that a man was attacking people with a knife outside a hotpot restaurant on Xiaoguwei Street.

Police officers were dispatched to the scene and arrested a man identified by his surname, Li, aged 35. The injured people were taken to hospital for treatment.

Police said that none of those injured faced life-threatening injuries after receiving medical care.

They did not disclose the total number of victims or provide details of the suspect’s motive.

Attack occurred in busy university district

The reported attack took place in Xiaoguwei Street, on Xiaoguwei Island in Guangzhou’s university town, an area surrounded by universities and commercial businesses.

Chinese media identified the location as GOGO Xintiandi commercial plaza, a retail and dining complex in the university town.

The area is typically busy with students, shoppers and diners, with the incident occurring at about 5.20pm.

According to the Chinese report, a man wearing a black mask was seen carrying a knife and attacking people along a pedestrian walkway before being stopped by police.

Photographs and videos circulating online showed several injured people at the scene.

One image appeared to show an elderly woman with an apparent facial injury and blood on her clothing.

A witness reportedly claimed that the attacker appeared to target victims around the face and eyes.

However, the circumstances of the attacks and the alleged targeting have not been confirmed by police.

Uncertainty over number of victims

The number of people injured remains unclear.

The Chinese report said that at least four people appeared to have been attacked based on videos and photographs circulating online.

It also cited witnesses who estimated that six or seven people may have been victims.

Police have not released an official number of injured people, meaning the figures circulating online cannot be independently confirmed at this stage.

The police statement also did not identify the hotpot restaurant by name, referring only to the location as a hotpot restaurant on Xiaoguwei Street.

Rumours spread online after attack

The incident prompted a wave of unverified claims on Chinese social media, including reports that more than one person was involved and that someone had died.

The Chinese report said these claims had not been confirmed by authorities.

One widely circulated online account also claimed that the suspect fled to the western campus canteen of Guangdong University of Technology after the attack and was later arrested by special police officers.

However, police have only publicly identified one suspect — the 35-year-old man surnamed Li — and have not confirmed that there were other attackers or that the suspect fled to the university campus.

Police also said that all injured people were out of immediate danger after treatment, which does not support the online claim that someone had died.

Investigation continues

The police response began shortly after the 5.20pm emergency calls, with officers arriving at the scene, detaining the suspect and arranging medical treatment for those injured.

Authorities have not yet disclosed what led to the attack or whether the suspect knew any of the victims.

The investigation remains ongoing, with police expected to establish the exact number of injured people, the circumstances leading up to the attack and the suspect’s motive.