Police shoot kidnapper, free hostage

By Chen Qian  |   2008-7-24  |     ONLINE EDITION

POLICE shot and killed a man who had kidnapped a woman and stabbed her in what seems to be a love affair gone wrong.

The woman was taken to hospital but her injuries were not life threatening.

The drama was played out in Hami City, in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Xinhuanet.com reported today.

The dead man, surnamed Zhang, had earlier attacked a man called Cao and kidnapped the woman, Li, who was with him. Cao was stabbed and is also being treated in hospital.

Residents called police at 11:35am yesterday saying that a man armed with a knife had kidnapped a woman and was holding her at a block of apartments.

Police rushed to the scene where they found an injured man lying in front of the building and the attacker holding the woman with a knife against her body.

The woman had been injured as well and was bleeding heavily but police could only persuade the attacker to let them take the injured man to hospital.

The attacker refused to let the woman go and even when a relative of his tried to talk to him, lashed out with the knife as well.

After two hours of negotiations the attacker appeared increasingly desperate and police, fearing for the life of his hostage, opened fire and killed him.

The matter is being investigated.