Explosion Rocks Street in Front of U.S. Embassy in Beijing

Police say a man set off a device made from fireworks.

beijing
Chinese paramilitary police walk outside the US embassy compound in Beijing on July 26, 2018 following a blast near the embassy premises. (GREG BAKER/AFP/Getty Images)
AFP/Getty Images

An explosion rocked the street outside the United States Embassy in Beijing on Thursday, reports The New York Times, after a man set off a device made from fireworks.

Smoke filled the air on a street not far from where Chinese citizens line up each day to apply for United States visas. The 26-year-old man who set off the device injured his hand and was detained then sent to a hospital. His injuries are not life-threatening, and no one else was injured.

Earlier that day, a woman who had also been protesting was arrested after dousing herself in gasoline. It is unclear if the two incidents were related.

The street in front of the Embassy, Tianze Road, was closed for about an hour after the blast, The Times reports. The road is also near the embassies of India and Israel. The U.S. Embassy in Beijing is well-protected.

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