China has executed a man who set off three explosions on railway lines in the hope of stealing passengers' money, state media said today.
Jiang Kaifu was executed yesterday by a court in Guangzhou, the capital of the southern province of Guangdong, the Guangzhou Daily said.
He was convicted of detonating devices, two in November 1999 and one last January, on the Beijing-Guangzhou line.
His actions caused two passenger trains to derail and halted services three times, causing a total economic loss of more than 2.5 million yuan, the report said.
It said Jiang was hoping to collect money left behind by distraught or injured passengers following the derailments.
The report said Jiang confessed to the crimes after he was arrested in April.
China has stepped up executions of convicted criminals in recent weeks in line with its traditional practice of sending out a warning to potential offenders to behave themselves in the upcoming Lunar New Year festival which begins on January 24.
AFP