Local police confirmed that that the suspect in a stabbing attack in Shaanxi was a former student of No. 3 Middle School in Mizhi County. Seven students of the school were killed — five girls and two boys — and a further 12 injured in the incident on Friday evening, which took place just after 6 p.m. as the students headed home after school.

According to police, the suspect, a 28-year-old man surnamed Zhao, confessed that he hated students because he had been bullied when he was at school. He remains in police custody. The injured students — nine girls and three boys — are being treated at a local hospital.