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stargazer234
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Posted at 2008-8-9 11:07 PM  Send PM 
American at Olympics stabbed to death

BEIJING, China (CNN) -- A Chinese attacker stabbed two Americans, killing the man and wounding the woman, who were attending the Olympic Games on Saturday, according to the U.S. Olympic Committee.



Chinese police respond to the stabbings at the Drum Tower in Beijing on Saturday. An American man died.

The man also injured a female Chinese tour guide before leaping to his death around noon from the second floor of the Drum Tower, a popular Beijing tourist site, the official Chinese news agency Xinhua reported.



The USOC said the two Americans were family members of a coach for the U.S. men's indoor volleyball team. No other information about them was released.

The attacker was a 47-year-old man from the eastern Chinese city Hangzhou, a spokesman for the Beijing Municipal Government Information Office told Xinhua.

A White House spokesman said President Bush, who is attending Olympic events Saturday, was told about the attack against the Americans.

The U.S. Embassy and the White House have offered the victims' families whatever assistance is needed, the spokesman said.

The ancient Drum Tower in Beijing, and the nearby Bell Tower, are popular tourist sites. Both sites told the time in the capital city, with the bell rung in the morning and drum beaten in the evening, throughout the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.

LINK.




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martialartslove
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Posted at 2008-8-10 12:39 AM  Send PM 
Oh! How sad.    It should be a time of joy and unfortunate that this situation has happened.  
stargazer234
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Posted at 2008-8-10 01:12 AM  Send PM 
I heard on CNN News that the two people attacked weren't wearing any clothing that would signify that they were affiliated with any coach or athlete, or anything that would even make them appear to be Americans.

And since the attacker is dead, we will probably never know the reason behind his actions.




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martialartslove
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Posted at 2008-8-10 01:17 AM  Send PM 
The attacker must have had such turmoil within himself to attack a fellow countrymen as well as the americans.  Your right, no one will ever know his reasons behind this.
stargazer234
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Posted at 2008-8-10 05:07 AM  Send PM 


QUOTE:
Relative of US Olympic coach killed in Beijing
By ROHAN SULLIVAN
Associated Press Writer

A Chinese man stabbed the in-laws of the U.S. Olympic men's volleyball coach, killing one and injuring the other while they visited a Beijing tourist site near the main venue where Olympic competitions began Saturday.

The victims were Todd and Barbara Bachman of Lakeville, Minn., parents of former Olympian Elisabeth Bachman, who is married to men's volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon, according to the U.S. Olympic Committee. Bachman's father was killed.

The assailant also stabbed and injured a Chinese tour guide with the Americans. He then committed suicide by leaping from a 130-foot-high balcony of the ancient landmark the Americans were visiting, the 13th-century Drum Tower, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
Xinhua said the injured tour guide was also a woman, it said.

The volleyball teams is "deeply saddened and shocked," said Darryl Seibel, a USOC spokesman.
He said the two victims "were not wearing apparel or anything that would have specifically identified them as being members of our delegation" or as Americans.

The U.S. Embassy said it believed the attack was an isolated act and not directed at Americans or foreigners, given that the Chinese tour guide was also hurt.

"We don't believe this was targeted at American citizens, and we don't believe this has anything to do with the Olympics," embassy spokeswoman Susan Stevenson said.

The killing was a rare instance of violent crime against foreigners in tightly controlled China, which has ramped up security measures even more for the Olympics.

The attack shortly after noon at the busy tourist site darkened the mood at the games the day after a spectacular opening ceremony had set an ebullient tone after years of nervous buildup.

Beijing's communist leaders are hypersensitive to anything that could take the shine off the games, insisting issues such as China's human rights record, harsh rule in Tibet and ties with Sudan should not be raised at the sports event.

China's Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment on the attack.

Xinhua 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 on the second level of the ancient tower, then leapt to his death immediately afterward.

Seibel said it was "too early to say" whether security would be stepped up for the U.S. team. But some athletes were already thinking about it.

Jennie Finch, a member of the U.S. softball team, said her heart skipped a beat when she heard about the attack, but she was undaunted.

"I'm here with my husband and son, so it's not easy but we're living our dreams and we're not going to live in fear," she said. "We're going to go out there every day and enjoy every day and celebrate it."

U.S. Ambassador Clark T. Randt visited the victims at a hospital in Beijing to convey the condolences of President Bush, who is in Beijing for the first days of the games.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families," Bush told reporters. "And the United States government has offered to provide any assistance the family needs."

"It is impossible to describe the depth of our sadness and shock in this tragic hour," said USOC Chairman Peter Ueberroth. "Our delegation comes to the games as a family, and when one member of our family suffers a loss, we all grieve with them."

At the scene, police blocked off streets leading to the Drum Tower, which is just five miles from the main Olympics venue in China's capital. They cordoned off the area with yellow police tape while officers collected samples from the tower and the street below.

Some details of the attack, including the motive and weapon used, were not immediately clear.

LINK.





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colombe
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Posted at 2008-8-10 05:36 AM  Send PM 
I hope that there will be no more tragedy during the olympics.
JRS
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Posted at 2008-8-11 05:08 AM  Send PM 
A senseless tragedy.  I'll reserve any of my conspiracy theories when I see who gets the gold medal in men's volleyball.




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Flagday
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Posted at 2008-8-11 05:49 AM  Send PM 
C'mon, don't even say that.  It was a crazed suicidal guy whom they unfortuitously met in the tower.  If it were a conspiracy it'd be the stupidest one ever attempted.
JRS
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Posted at 2008-8-11 06:03 AM  Send PM 


QUOTE:
Originally posted by Flagday at 8/10/08 02:49 PM
C'mon, don't even say that.  It was a crazed suicidal guy whom they unfortuitously met in the tower.  If it were a conspiracy it'd be the stupidest one ever attempted.

Oh, come on yourself!!     Just think about it....a man who had no home....no criminal record....what was his motivation???  I'll just leave it at that....




Love, Kindness, Generosity

"Create something that you are interested in, no matter how seemingly petty, for it cannot be unimportant if it interests your heart." -- Jet Li

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