Four American university professors stabbed in public park in China

Four instructors from an Iowa college, who were visiting their partner university in China, were reportedly stabbed Monday in a public park in the northeast of the country.

Instructors at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, were injured in a stabbing incident by an unknown assailant while visiting a park in northern China's Jilin province, according to the school .

The four men were with a professor at their partner institution, Beihua University, when they were injured “in a serious incident,” the school's president, Jonathan Brand, said in a statement to the university community.

“We have been in contact with all four instructors and are assisting them during this time,” Mr Brand said.

The U.S. State Department has been informed of the incident and is monitoring the situation, he said. No American students were part of the exchange program, the school said.

Chinese authorities have yet to respond to the incident and the BBC reported that images of the injured, shared on social media, had been censored on the Chinese internet.

Iowa Rep. Ashley Hinson said in an article on X, “My team is in communication with Cornell College and will do everything in our power to get these Iowans home safely.”

“Join me in praying for their health and safety. »

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said, “I am in contact with the Iowa federal delegation and the Department of State in response to this horrific attack. Please pray for their full recovery, safe return and their families here at home.

Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst also said her team was “closely following reports that staff members at Cornell University in Mt Vernon were stabbed in China.”

“We are in contact with the college and the Department of State and stand ready to further assist these Iowans.” I pray for a speedy recovery for everyone,” she said on X.

According to CBS News, Iowa Rep. Adam Zabner's brother, David, is one of those injured in the stabbing incident.

He told the media outlet that his brother was stabbed in the arm at Beishan Park and was recovering in hospital. “He hasn’t been released yet this morning but he’s doing well,” he said.

It was also unclear whether instructors were specifically targeted.

The partnership between Cornell College and Beihua University began in 2018. A press release that year noted that Beihua University was funding Cornell faculty's trips to China, where they reside and teach computer science, mathematics and physics over a period of two weeks.