Retired school official's attempt to overthrow government foiled
A retired school official organized a "suicide squad" to overthrow the government, China's Ministry of State Security revealed on Wednesday. The announcement was made on the ministry's official WeChat account
The official surnamed Su had been expressing radical views through various online platforms for some time, which attracted the attention of a hostile organization based abroad.
In 2016, Su formed an alliance of "suicide squads" and began to make plans to subvert the state.
Su, a retired cadre from a school in southwest China's Yunnan Province, is found guilty of attempting to subvert national political power.
According to a previous China Central Television report, the adversary force entered China via Chengdu in southwestern Sichuan Province in August that year, secretly coordinating with Su to orchestrate a series of violent acts. They planned to purchase weapons from overseas and recruit a group that they called the "suicide squad."
Their plan was to strike during the Chinese New Year in 2017, targeting a police station in Kunming, southwestern Yunnan Province. The operation aimed to seize ammunition stores and execute a sequence of tactics, including power outages, water supply disruptions, and arson. If the operation succeeded, Su intended to publicize his political demands through online media.
Su named the operation the "China Benghazi Project" and set up several WeChat groups. Their every move, however, was being watched by national security agencies, and before they could execute their violent campaign, they were apprehended by authorities.
On April 15, 2019, the Chengdu Intermediate People's Court pronounced Su guilty of attempting to subvert national political power. Su confessed and expressed remorse for his crimes.
