BEIJING, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- China's Supreme People's Court (SPC) announced on Monday that a convicted criminal in a kindergarten knife attack in south China had been executed last Friday after the SPC approved the death sentence.

After re-examination, the SPC confirmed that defendant Qin Peng'an, a peasant from the village of Nanshan in Pingxiang, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, brought a kitchen knife to a kindergarten in the city on Jan. 4, 2017, and attacked children out of retaliation. Four children were seriously injured while eight others received minor injuries.

After the attack, Qin escaped and later surrendered to the police, according to the SPC statement.

On Aug. 28, 2017, the Intermediate People's Court of Chongzuo sentenced Qin to death and deprived him of his political rights for life for intentional homicide. Qin appealed, but his appeal was dismissed by the Higher People's Court of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region later that year.

The verdict was then submitted to the SPC for approval in accordance with the law.

After reviewing the case, the SPC held that Qin's behavior had constituted the crime of intentional homicide and should be punished according to law.

Although Qin's attempted murder failed and he turned himself in, it was still not enough to punish him leniently, said the SPC.