Courts ramp up security in wake of judge slayings

Courtrooms across Beijing tightened security measures after three judges were killed in Hunan province on Tuesday and a plaintiff tried to kill himself on Wednesday in Haidian district court.

Zhou Guangqi, chief of police of the Fengtai district court, on Wednesday said that court police officers have added new gear, including shields and helmets, to their traditional equipment such as batons.

On Tuesday, a security chief for a bank branch in Yongzhou, Hunan province, entered a district court and fatally shot three judges with a submachine gun and two pistols. He then killed himself with one of the guns.