On August 9, 2008 in the People's Republic of China, two American tourists and their Chinese tour guide were stabbed at the historic Beijing Drum Tower; one of the tourists was killed. The assailant then committed suicide by jumping from the tower. The incident occurred during the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

in Beijing. The incident has been described as isolated since attacks on foreigners while visiting China are rare.

Stabbing attack

Three people were stabbed in Beijing, China, on August 9, 2008, by 47-year-old Tang Yongming of

Hangzhou Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay, whi ...

, while visiting the 13th-century Drum Tower in Beijing during the 2008 Summer Olympics.American killed at Games was coach's father-in-law
CNN. 2008-08-09 The attacker then leapt to his death from a high balcony on the Drum Tower. The victims were Todd Bachman, a prominent horticulturalist from

Lakeville, Minnesota Lakeville is an exurb of Minneapolis-Saint Paul, and the largest city in Dakota County, Minnesota, United States. It is approximately south of both downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul along Interstate Highway 35. Starting as a flourishi ...

, his wife Barbara, and their female Chinese national tour guide. Todd Bachman, who died in the attack, was the father of American athlete

Elisabeth Bachman Elisabeth Anne "Wiz" Bachman (born November 7, 1978) is a retired volleyball player from the United States, who represented her native country at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. There she finished in fifth place with the USA Nationa ...

and the father-in-law of Team USA men's volleyball coach

Hugh McCutcheon Hugh Donald McCutcheon (born 13 October 1969), a native of Christchurch, New Zealand, is a former volleyball coach. He previously coached the US men's and women's national volleyball team, and was the head coach for the University of Minnesota' ...

. Barbara Bachman was severely wounded but survived the attack. The female Chinese tour guide was listed in stable condition at the Chinese hospital, as was Mrs. Bachman. One of the Bachmans' daughters, Elisabeth Bachman McCutcheon, was also on the tour but was uninjured.

Perpetrator

Tang Yongming spent most of his life in the outskirts of

, and was a metal presser at the Hangzhou Meter Factory for more than twenty years. He had no previous criminal record, according to investigators. Investigators reported that Tang was distraught over family problems. A colleague who knew Tang said that he had "an unyielding mouth", "grumbled a great deal", and was "very cynical". Another former co-worker said Tang 'had a quick temper and was always complaining about society". Police report that Tang went through his second divorce in 2006 and grew increasingly despondent when his 21-year-old son started getting into trouble. The son was detained in May 2007 on suspicion of fraud, then received a suspended prison sentence in March 2008 for theft.

Aftermath

US Olympic Committee Chairman

Peter Ueberroth Peter Victor Ueberroth (; born September 2, 1937) is an American sports and business executive known for his involvement in the Olympics and in Major League Baseball. A Los Angeles-based businessman, he was the chairman of the Los Angeles Olymp ...

and

US President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

each offered their condolences. The

United States Embassy The United States has the second most diplomatic missions of any country in the world after Mainland China, including 166 of the 193 member countries of the United Nations, as well as observer state Vatican City and non-member countries Kosovo a ...

issued a statement, that argued that as the Chinese tour guide was also hurt in the attack, it was not specifically aimed at Americans and was not related to the Olympics. US Ambassador Clark T Randt visited the victims while they were being treated. Shortly after the attacks, the tower was closed to tourists with the surrounding area still open to tourists. Chinese officials increased the police presence with 110,000 officers and 1.7 million volunteers stationed near the Olympics to alleviate safety concerns. Beijing Olympic official Wang Wei, announced that there would be extra security checks implemented at some scenic areas, and large outdoor screens used to view the games around Beijing were muted or turned off to avoid large crowds.

References

External links

USAToday article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beijing Drum Tower stabbings during Olympics, 2008 Attacks in China in 2008 2008 Summer Olympics American people murdered abroad Deaths by stabbing in China Murder–suicides in China Mass stabbings in China 2000s in Beijing Crime in Beijing

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Stabbing attacks in 2008