Four instructors from an Iowa college who were teaching in China as part of a partnership with a local university were attacked and injured in a public park there on Monday, according to Chinese and college officials.
Jonathan Brand, the president of Cornell College, a private liberal arts college in the city of Mount Vernon, said the instructors had been “injured in a serious incident” while visiting the park. He said in a statement that they were with a member of the faculty of Beihua University, Cornell’s partner in Jilin City in northeastern China, when the attack occurred.
“We have been in contact with all four instructors and are assisting them during this time,” Mr. Brand said.
The Jilin police said on Tuesday evening that a 55-year-old man with the surname Cui had been arrested shortly after officers arrived at the scene. Mr. Cui, a resident of Jilin, “collided” with one of the teachers and began stabbing all four, as well as a Chinese bystander who tried to stop him, the police statement said. The statement did not say what prompted Mr. Cui to carry out the attack.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said at a regular news briefing on Tuesday that the attack was under investigation, but that it appeared to be an “isolated incident.”
Lin Jian, a spokesman for the foreign ministry, said that none of the teachers was in critical condition and that they had received medical treatment at a hospital shortly after the attack. The episode occurred in the morning at Beishan Park, a popular local destination.