Man held after failed blackmail bid with explosive device

A man was arrested for attempting to use self-made explosives to blackmail a local government, media reported in Sichuan province.

Li Yonggui, a resident of Fushun county, Sichuan, made an explosive device from wine bottles, broken glass and firecracker powder and wrote a letter demanding 2 million yuan ($321,000) from the local government on Nov 13, the Huaxi Metropolis Daily reported.

On Nov 15, he took the device to a teahouse, placed it under a table, lit the fuse, and fled. The device failed to explode and police later found the letter.

Li took a bus to Kunming, capital of Southwest China's Yunnan province, on Nov 16 and was arrested on Nov 22.