American Killed In Beijing By Suicide Attacker - Drum Tower
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Drum Tower - China
A knife-wielding Chinese man attacked two relatives of a coach for the U.S. Olympic men’s volleyball team at a tourist site in Beijing, killing one and injuring the other on the first day of the Olympics on Saturday, 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 five miles 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 ramped up 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 it has already dampened some of the enthusiasm.
Video From Drum Tower
Official Chinese media give no motive for the attack. Attacks on foreigners in China are very rare. And security in Beijing has been especially tight because of the Olympics, which opened Friday.
The U.S. Olympic Committee’s Seibel says the victims were family members of a coach for the U.S. Olympic men’s indoor volleyball team. But he says he does not believe they were specifically targeted.
“My understanding is that the individuals who were attacked were not wearing apparel that obviously or automatically identified them as members of the United States delegation or in any way connected them to the United States delegation,” said Seibel.
He says the U.S. Olympic Committee is in touch with Chinese and U.S. authorities about the case.
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