Man executed for stabbing spree in downtown Beijing

A 50-year-old man was executed in Beijing Friday for killing two and injuring 14 others in the capital's downtown area in 2009.

Zhang Jianfei, a native of northeast China's Jilin province, was found guilty in 2010 of endangering public security by stabbing two to death and injuring another 14 in the Dashila area on September 17, 2009.

Tourists, security guards and salesmen at roadside shops were among the victims.

Zhang, a former worker at a primary school in Yongji county of Jilin, blamed his actions on him becoming emotionally distraught while looking for a job.

He argued that he was drunk at that time, and but forensic doctors concluded following an investigation that Zhang was only slightly drunk and had the full ability to control himself.

Zhang's death penalty was meted out in November 2010. The verdict has been approved by the Supreme People's Court, as required.