Originally posted by the Voice of America.
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              Suspect Sought in China's 'Criminal' Parcel Bombings

   by Joyce Huang

   Chinese police are searching for a 33-year old suspect linked to 18
   mail bomb explosions that killed at least seven people and wounded more
   than 50 in the southwestern city of Liuzhou, Guangxi province.

   China's official Xinhua news agency reports the police say the blasts
   over the past two days were a "criminal" act, but say they are still
   trying to determine the motivation for the attack.

   The local public security office said in a statement on the Weibo Web
   blog site the suspect surnamed "Wei" had committed the crime by hiring
   couriers to deliver his bomb packages.

   More bombs?

   Police have urged residents of the city not to accept any suspicious
   packages and the postal system has suspended deliveries until Saturday
   over possible worries that there could be more bombs in the mail.

   As of Thursday, there were at least 18 blasts, triggered by explosive
   devices hidden in express delivery packages.  The last occurred early
   Thursday in a residential apartment, 16 hours after the first detonated
   Wednesday.

   A local courier told the Epoch Times newspaper he witnessed the first
   blast, which tore down a three-story building in Dapu township.  That
   was followed by another three blasts near the business center.

   The witness said the township's animal husbandry staff dormitory was
   the worst hit, with the compound's eight buildings completely
   flattened.

   An employee at the animal husbandry center told VOA that its main
   offices remain intact.  "We still work shifts here while top leaders
   remain on site, dealing with the aftermath of the devastation.  The
   blast site is about three to four kilometers away [from the offices],"
   he said without giving his name.

   A supermarket manager, Zhang Qi, told China National Radio that shortly
   after the first blast, she received a phone call from a township
   government official, who cautioned her to beware of any suspicious
   packages.  She soon discovered an unclaimed package with the sound of
   clock ticking inside.  She then placed the parcel on the cashier's
   counter while rushing to evacuate staff and shoppers.  "Ten minutes
   later, it went off," she said, adding there were no causalities except
   her supermarket had been turned into a dump site.

   Residents said many areas were cordoned off while authorities located a
   total of 60 packages, which at that time were waiting to be processed
   by a bomb squad.

   Organized effort?

   Other targets included the township government office, shopping malls,
   a hospital, prison and bus terminal in Dapu as well as other areas
   around Liuzhou, domestic media reported, citing local authorities.

   Individuals in China have carried out bomb attacks over local
   grievances, but the scope of the Guangxi attacks and extent of the
   damages give the appearance of a more coordinated effort.

   Even so, an analyst says the types of facilities apparently targeted
   and the fact the blasts hit a midsize city in a rural area of China
   suggest that the motivation is likely over local issues.

   "Assuming it is a terrorist group, then they want to actually get the
   maximum propaganda out of it.  Why hit a poor city?  Hit one that is
   famous.  Hit an iconic building," said Tay Hao-giang, deputy president
   of the Institution of Fire Engineers' Malaysia Branch.

   With the investigation still in the early stages, and no group claiming
   responsibility, the attacks remain a mystery.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/suspect-sought-in-china-parcel-bombings/2987091.html