Woman beaten to death ‘for refusing to give her number to cult’

The murder of a woman at a fast food restaurant in China has sparked a national outcry after it was revealed she was beaten to death for allegedly refusing to give her telephone number to members of a banned religious group.

The woman, aged 37, was attacked by a group of people who were described as members of the Church of Almighty God religious movement, state media reported. The group preached a global apocalypse would take place in 2012 and has been banned by Chinese authorities.

The attack occurred last Wednesday at a McDonald’s restaurant in northeastern Shandong province and was captured on surveillance video, the official Xinhua News Agency said in a commentary. Video footage of the attack was shown on China Central Television on Saturday.