BEIJING // A knife-wielding Chinese man today attacked two relatives of a coach for the US Olympic men's volleyball team at a tourist site in Beijing, killing one and injuring the other, team officials and state media said. The man then committed suicide by throwing himself from the second story of the site, the 13th century Drum Tower just eight kilometres from the main Olympics site. The brutal attack shortly after midday was all the more shocking because of the rarity of violent crime against foreigners in tightly controlled China, which has increased security measures even more for the Olympics.
The stabbing came only hours after what by many accounts was the most spectacular opening ceremony in Olympic history and has already dampened some of the enthusiasm. "They are deeply saddened and shocked," Darryl Seibel, a spokesman for the US Olympic Committee, said of the volleyball team. The US Olympic Committee said in a statement that two family members of a coach for the men's indoor volleyball team were stabbed at the Drum Tower "during an attack by what local law enforcement authorities have indicated was a lone assailant".
One of the family members was killed and the other was seriously injured, it said, without giving details. The official Xinhua News Agency identified the attacker as Tang Yongming, 47, from the eastern city of Hangzhou. It said Tang attacked the two Americans and their Chinese tour guide, who was also injured, at 12.20pm on the second level of the ancient tower, then leapt to his death immediately afterward. The second level of the tower is about 40 metres high. Mr Seibel said the two Americans "were not wearing apparel or anything that would have specifically identified them as being members of our delegation" or as Americans. He could not name the coach. He added that it was "too early to say" whether the US delegation or athletes will require additional security. The US embassy spokesman Richard Buangan said it was aware of an incident involving two Americans and was working with Chinese authorities to find out more. He said US officials were in contact with relatives of the two Americans who are in Beijing. "Out of respect for the families involved, we can't say more than that," Don Q Washington, another embassy spokesman, told reporters. Police blocked off streets leading to the Drum Tower immediately after the attack and cordoned off the area with yellow police tape. Security officers were examining the scene on the tower and below. Attacks on foreigners in China are extremely rare. Shanghai and Beijing are still safer than most foreign cities of their size. Punishments for crimes against foreigners are heavier than for crimes against Chinese, and police-linked neighbourhood watch groups are highly vigilant. The White House said President Bush, who is in Beijing for the opening days of the Olympics, was informed of the incident. *AP