Liu ZHANJIN

Classification: Mass murderer
Characteristics: Suicide bomber - Hate
Date of murders: 42
Date of murders: 1999 / March 29, 2000
Date of birth: 1965
Victims profile: His wife and their son / Men, women and children (wedding guests)
Method of murder: Explosives
Location: Shanxi, China
Status: Died in explosion March 29, 2000

Bomber Kills 36, Self at Party, Paper Says

Los Angeles Times

March 31, 2000

A suicide bomber, angry because his wife had left him, killed himself and 36 other people at a village wedding in northern China's Shanxi province, the China Youth Daily reported. The newspaper said farmer Liu Zhanjin, a 34-year-old former miner used to handling explosives, filled several bags with 110 pounds of explosives and transported them to the wedding on a handcart. Liu set off the explosives in the middle of the wedding party, which was attended by more than 100 people Wednesday. The blast also injured more than 30 people, the newspaper said, and shattered windows 100 yards away. Liu reportedly had carried out several test explosions outside the village.

Suicide bomber blast kills 37 in China

Reuters

April 1, 2000

BEIJING: A suicide bomber, mad at the world because his wife left him, killed himself and 36 other people at a village wedding in northern China's Shanxi province, the China Youth Daily reported on Friday.

It said farmer Liu Zhanjin, a 34-year-old former miner used to handling explosives, filled several bags with 50 kg (110 lb) of explosives and took them to the wedding on a handcart.

Liu blew himself to pieces when he set off the explosives in the middle of the wedding party attended by more than 100 people on Wednesday.

He killed 36 other people and injured more than 30 with an explosion which shattered windows 100 metres (yards) away, the newspaper said.

It said Liu had carried out several test explosions outside the village in advance.

40 Funerals and a Wedding

BeijingScene.com

April 14, 2000

Forty people were killed and 36 injured in a village in Shanxi province last month when a crazed coal miner detonated a homemade bomb at a wedding ceremony.

Police say Liu Zhanjin, 34, who had secretly murdered his wife and three-year-old son last year, built the device during a period of mental depression, the Yangcheng Evening News reports. In a jealous fit, Liu had stabbed his wife to death after she tried to leave the house to visit friends. Then he killed his son, who had witnessed the incident. After ditching the bodies in a cesspool, the father lied about the mother and boy's whereabouts to his two daughters, who were in school when the murders took place.

As his mental condition deteriorated, the mere sight of others enjoying themselves filled Liu with rage. On March 29, he set off several homemade explosives outside a house packed with 100 wedding guests. The bombs, which were disguised as sacks of rice, were packed with nails, steel bolts, bicycle parts and scrap iron. The 40 dead included 20 members of the same family. Only 24 bodies were identifiable.

Soon after the bombing, Liu revealed his motives, as well as the location of his wife and son's remains, in a 50,000-word suicide letter to the police.

Liu Zhanjin

Mr. Liu Zhanjin was very upset because his wife had left him. I don't know why she did so, but I would think this his bad temper may have been a very large problem for her.

Being a former miner and farmer, Liu was quite adept at handling explosives, and after his wife had left him he would go out into the fields and blow shit up. Hey, we all need to destroy stuff now and again. There can't be anything wrong with that, can there?

Umm, if that's all you doing then it shouldn't be a problem, but if you preparing to cause damage to something other than dirt or trees, it could become a problem, especially if you just blowing up dirt and trees to see how much explosive you'll need for.., well, we'll get to that in a second.

On Wednesday, 29 March, 2000, the town where Liu lived in northern China's Shanxi province was host to a big local wedding. Over 100 people had gathered to see two young locals exchange vows and prepare for the beautiful happy life that couples seem to think they'll go on to enjoy. (personally I can't understand why anyone would want to spend the rest of their life with another person, but I guess that's just me).

But the emotionally scared Liu had a better idea. He was going to save the poor young groom for having to handle the pain that his wife had put him through. He had a present for the newlyweds that would solve all of the pain.

He arrived at the wedding pushing a handcart with his gift to the newlyweds, 50 kg (110 lb) of explosives. Needless to say that his gift certainly had an impact on the other guests. So much impact that there was structural damage and smashed windows in a 100 meter radius of his position.

Standing right next to the explosives caused out humble farmer to be blown apart as soon as he had detonated them. Despite his own demise his actions were not completely in vain as he wasn't the only one taken out by the blast. In all, 36 other people were killed in and almost everyone else at the wedding were injured. Unfortunately I don't know if the young couple were amongst the dead, but I'm sure that they'll see just what separation can do to a man.

The Wacky World of Murder