A man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for hijacking a bus with 21 passengers on board near Tian'anmen Square in Beijing last December.

Liu Meixiang, who used to drive an unlicensed taxi in East China's Jiangsu Province, had his car confiscated by transport authorities last year.

He was detained when he tried to get his car back by threatening authorities with a dagger.

When they released him, he decided to do something "really influential" and hijacked the bus in Beijing using two homemade guns.

Beijing Evening News