Local police in Harbin, northeastern Heilongjiang Province, have detained a migrant worker who threatened to blow up the state TV station studio where the largest gala performance in China was being held.
Lan Yidong, 30, allegedly phoned in to say there were several bombs at the live broadcasting scene at 8:30pm on February 8, half an hour after the Spring Festival variety show began. The telephone number indicated the call was from Harbin.
The suspect was arrested three days later when he was at work at a bathhouse in Yakeshi City, local police said yesterday, adding that the threat was a hoax.
Lan said he "has a hatred against society" as his work and life had not been smooth.
He was fired for frequent absences when working in Yakeshi before, and then dismissed repeatedly by several companies for stealing after he moved to Harbin, he said.
The gala performance broadcast on China Central Television on Chinese Lunar New Year's Eve is the most significant one of its kind. It is estimated that more than half of the nation's 1.3 billion people watch the show each year.