One person was killed and eight others were injured after about six small "suspected homemade bombs" exploded in the immediate area of a Communist Party office in the northern Chinese city of Taiyuan on Wednesday.
According to state-run news agency Xinhua, the blasts occurred at around 7:40 a.m. in front of the Shanxi Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China office on Yingze street. 20 vehicles were damaged by the explosions. Eye witnesses reported hearing eight blasts, which left steel beads, circuit boards, ball bearings and debris scattered on the bustling avenues of the city. Following an investigation by an Explosive Ordinance Disposal team, which rushed to the scene of the explosion immediately after receiving calls of the event, no other explosives were found. The team, along with local police, informed Xinhua that the bomb's pieces indicated the explosives were homemade.
Traffic was halted for a short period of time after the bombings, while officials conducted an initial probe into the incident. According to TIME, traffic near the office has resumed once more, and investigators said an extensive analysis will follow.
The bombing comes just one week after a Jeep smashed through dozens of pedestrians and police officers at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, leaving five people dead and around 40 injured.
Members of the Communist Party claimed that Muslim Uighur extremists were responsible for the assault on China's core venue for political dealings.
Some have questioned whether these attacks were deliberate acts of aggression against leaders in office, as they appear to target the Chinese government.
