Kunming cafe bomber also responsible for bus bombings?

Kunming bus bombings in July. Image: GoKunming

From GoKunming.com:

The Kunming Public Security Bureau held a press conference Saturday afternoon to address the recent bombing of Salvador’s Coffee House, which has been connected to the public bus bombings in Kunming in late July of this year.

During the press conference, the identity of the bomber was revealed for the first time. 30-year-old male Li Yan (李彦), a resident of the northeast Yunnan city of Xuanwei who had only received education up until middle school, was identified as the bomber.

Li had been sent to prison for 9 years in 2001 for his involvement in robbery and assault. He served five years in a prison in Yiliang county, where he spent much of his time involved in electrical repairs, an experience which is believed to have aided his bombmaking.

Members of the special task force created in response to the Salvador’s bombing went to Li’s residence in Xuanwei, where they reportedly discovered ammonium nitrate and bomb casing materials that matched the samples taken from the Salvador’s bomb, which apparently detonated prematurely, blowing the lower half of Li’s body off. Li died two hours later at Honghui Hospital.

The bombmaking materials found in Li’s residence in Xuanwei also matched samples taken from the bombs used on two buses on Renmin Xi Lu that had been bombed in July, killing two and injuring 14. In addition to 1.1 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, police also found homemade gun with 21 rounds of ammunition at the man’s home.

Kris, the owner of the Salvador Coffee House, which was bombed, said that although many may be skeptical about the police investigation and connection with July’s bombings, spending time with the bomber during his last hours made it more convincing that the two events are tied. For more, see the GoKunming article below.