Masked knife man disrupts subway
A commuter looks away from a masked man, who allegedly disturbed passengers on Subway Line 2 by being noisy and brandishing a knife on Wednesday. Photo: Courtesy of a witness surnamed Zhao
Passengers on Beijing subway claimed Tuesday that they had witnessed a masked knife-wielding man threatening commuters on subway lines, triggering public concern over the reliability of the subway system's security checks.
Witnesses alleged that the suspect, who had a homemade paper mask covering his eyes, was holding a recording device and a wooden stick, with which he was beating a metal drum.
When some other passengers tried to stop him from making noise, he grabbed a knife from his bag and threatening those trying to approach him.
A female passenger, surnamed Zhao, said she saw the man as she got on the train at Xizhimen Subway Station on Line 2 Wednesday morning.
"The recorder he was holding was just broadcasting a single word, 'piss-off,' repeatedly," said Zhao. She originally thought the man was blind until he lifted up his mask to look around.
Zhao took a photo of the man on her cellphone and posted it on her Sina microblog, which attracted lots of comments and reposts. From the comments, she discovered that he was later seen with a knife.
"I think subway staff should stop this man from harassing other passengers with his knife and the noise," she said, "otherwise, passengers won't feel safe."
Another female passenger, surnamed Wang, also posted on her Sina microblog Tuesday after she saw the man's odd behavior.
Wang said that she understands that carrying out the subway security checks is not an easy job.
"People dislike having their bags checked, but if they don't do that, then there is a safety concern we need to worry about too," she told the Global Times.
Despite some witnesses claiming police were called on Tuesday, Jia Peng, the media officer of Beijing Subway, which operates 15 out of the capital's 17 subway lines, including Line 2, said he knew nothing of the troublesome passenger.
"You should ask the police about this in detail," he said. He would not comment about the effectiveness of the subway security checks.
However, a police officer from the control office of the Public Transportation Law Enforcement Office, who would not give his name, said they had not received any calls concerning this man's behavior on the subway system.
Li Yu, a 24-year-old postgraduate student at a local university, said that he felt the bag check system at Beijing subway stations is not very effective.
"Once, I forgot I had a large pair of scissors in my bag," said Li.
"Despite this, when I put my bag through the X-Ray machine, no one noticed them," he said.
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