All of the victims were rushed to hospital, where three succumbed to their wounds. The remaining injured were not in life-threatening condition, Shanghai police said on Tuesday morning.
The police were alerted at 9.47pm and arrested a man shortly after the attack at a supermarket in Shanghai’s suburban Songjiang district. An investigation was under way, the statement said.
Police identified the alleged assailant as a 37-year-old man named Lin who travelled to Shanghai to “vent his anger” over a personal financial dispute. They did not disclose Lin’s place of origin.
The incident has cast a pall over the start of China’s week-long holiday, when domestic travel is expected to surpass pre-pandemic levels.
Videos circulating online sparked widespread anger, with many condemning the attack.