On 9th October, San Francisco police shot and killed a man who crashed his car into the Chinese Consulate. The police did not reveal the identity of the assailant. Some of the furniture in the lobby was destroyed after the crash, but no one got injured in the incident.
Man crashes car into the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco. Driver shot by police pic.twitter.com/pey7214pYH
— News Now 24🌐 (@GlobalNewsNow24) October 10, 2023
Videos of the incident went viral on social media, where a blue Honda car was seen inside the consulate lobby. Several people were also seen running away from the building. In a statement issued by the Chinese Consulate, they condemned the incident and said it seriously threatened the safety of their staff and others in the building. They added they have the right to find out who was responsible for the attack.
The Chinese foreign ministry has accused an unknown person of breaking into the consulate, aiming to harm people inside the building. The consulate has been temporarily shut after the attack. The Chinese authorities have asked the United States government to handle the situation appropriately.
According to CNN, an eyewitness, Sergii Molchanov, said the car rammed into the building’s main door and hit the wall just 2 meters away from him. The driver exited the car and shouted “Where is CCP?”, referring to the Chinese Communist Party.
#Breaking Large Emergency Response as at least one shot after suspect crashes into Chinese consulate building.#SanFrancisco #California #USA #ChineseConsulate #Chin
— EMEA Intel (@emea_intel) October 9, 2023
📹 Ian pic.twitter.com/53kw1JIdhF
The matter is under investigation, and the police have not released much information about the attack. According to a statement released by a spokesperson for the San Francisco Police Department, when the officers arrived at the scene, they found the car inside the consulate lobby. They confronted the suspect, leading to the police opening fire at him. He was taken to the hospital, where he was declared dead.
US State Department is assisting the police in the investigation. As per reports, it is unclear how many people were there at the consulate when the incident happened.
Notably, San Francisco will be hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in November. Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to attend the event.
Khalistanis who attacked the Indian consulate walked free
While the suspect who rammed into the Chinese consulate was shot dead by the police, the pro-Khalistani elements that attacked the Indian consulate in San Francisco walked free. In July 2023, Khalistanis carried out an arson attack on the Indian consulate in San Francisco city. As per reports, the extremists set the building on fire between 1:30 AM and 2:30 AM. However, the damage was limited, and the staffers escaped unharmed. The San Francisco Fire Department quickly doused the fire.
In March 2023, Khalistan supporters also attacked the Indian consulate in San Francisco. This attack on the Indian consulate came shortly after an attack on the Indian High Commission in London by Khalistan supporters. The Khalistani attackers damaged the property at the consulate while waving their flags.
