Four American college instructors were injured in a stabbing attack in a park in China on Monday, officials say.
The educators from Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, were hurt in the northeast Jilin province as they participated in a partnership program with the local Beihua University, according to the college. China’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday described the incident as a random attack, according to Reuters.
“We have been in contact with all four instructors and are assisting them during this time,” Cornell College President Jonathan Brand said in a statement to CNN. He said no students from the small liberal arts school were taking part in the program.
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Graphic video footage appearing to show the aftermath of the attack was shared on Chinese social media Monday and has since circulated on other platforms. The clips show two men and a woman lying on the ground, all of whom are conscious and using cell phones.
One of the men has a large amount of blood on his clothes, while another holds a bloodied hand to his lower back, possibly compressing a wound.
Beijing’s Foreign Ministry confirmed four “foreign teachers at Beihua University were attacked” in Jilin’s Beishan Park on Monday morning. All of the victims were taken for medical treatment and none of them are thought to have sustained life-threatening injuries.
“The police initially determined that the case was an isolated incident and are currently under further investigation,” ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a news conference. Jian added that the incident “would not affect normal exchanges between the peoples of the United States and China.”
It’s not clear if a suspect has been arrested or what the motive may have been for the assault. The State Department has said it is aware of the reported “stabbing incident” and is monitoring the situation.
Iowa state representative Adam Zabner told CBS News that his brother, David Zabner, was among the victims. He said his brother, who was taking part in his second trip to China with Cornell, had been part of a group who were visiting a local temple when a man with a knife attacked. He said David was stabbed in the arm and is now recovering in a hospital.
“I’m just extremely grateful that my brother is OK and that he survived this attack,” the lawmaker told CNN.
Iowa’s Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a statement that she is “in touch with Iowa’s federal delegation and the state department in response to this horrifying attack.” “Please pray for their full recovery, safe return, and their families here at home,” she added.
Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) similarly said her team is working to bring the victims home safely and encouraged others to join her in praying for their health and safety. She wrote on X that she’d been “horrified” to learn the Cornell faculty members had been “brutally stabbed in China.”
