Planted a mine at his brother's house on Tet holiday in Thanh Hoa, fled to Nghe An to hide.
Xo returned to the village, intending to blow up his house on the first day of Tet, but seeing that there were many people, he backed off four days later.
According to Mr. Lien, the two brothers' families have lived close to each other for a long time. In recent years, their relationship has been strained because of Xo's love affair, which was opposed by Mr. Lien and his relatives. "Xo chased me with a knife many times, but I escaped," Mr. Lien said.
Neighbors said Mr. Xo was arrogant and had borrowed money from many people but did not pay it back. In addition to attacking his brother, Mr. Xo also fought with his neighbors over petty conflicts. Before causing the explosion, the suspect had been absent from the area for two months.
The chief of police in Thieu Tam commune said that although he had no criminal record, when narrowing down the suspect, Mr. Xo was put under special suspicion by the police.
|
The room where Mr. Lien and his three grandchildren lie, furniture is scattered everywhere. Photo:Le Hoang |
According to the investigation agency, suspect Xo said that he had a conflict with his brother's family and wanted revenge. At the end of 2018, he contacted a resident in Ba Ria - Vung Tau to buy materials to make a 10-tube mine, weighing more than 2 kg.
On February 5 (the first day of Tet), Xo secretly sneaked back to the village planning to carry out the explosion, but seeing that there were many people, he postponed the plan.
|
Suspect at the investigation agency. Photo:Lam Son. |
Early in the morning of February 9 (the 5th day of Tet), Xo continued to bring mines from Thanh Hoa city, hid his motorbike in the field to avoid making noise, walked into his brother's house, and used a ladder to climb up to the second floor railing. Because the door was closed, the suspect could not place the mines inside, so he left them on the porch near where his brother and two grandchildren were sleeping.
Climbed down to the ground, carefully put away the ladder, Xo lit the fuse and ran away. When he got close to where he hid the motorbike, he heard the sound of a mine exploding.
Xo escaped to a coastal commune in Quang Xuong district for two days, then returned to Thanh Hoa city to rent a room for two more days before going to An Hoa commune (Quynh Luu district, Nghe An) to ask to go fishing at sea. However, before the boat could leave the dock, Xo was arrested.
|
Large hole on the porch of a two-story house. Photo:Le Hoang |
The explosion slightly injured Mr. Lien and his two grandchildren. His son and his wife, who were sleeping on the first floor, were fortunately uninjured.
The blast caused the floor and two walls to be punctured, exposing the steel core, and many items were severely damaged. Four neighboring houses also had their roofs blown off and their windows broken. The total damage was estimated at over 500 million VND.
