Man attacks two foreigners in Beijing

By Chen Qian  |   2008-10-30  |     ONLINE EDITION

POLICE are searching for a suspect who stabbed two foreign men and robbed one of them in two separate attacks yesterday afternoon in downtown Beijing.

Doctors said a Russian man was in critical condition after being stabbed four times in the arm and abdomen, Beijing News reported today.

The other victim was a middle-aged American man who suffered minor wounds to his hands, back and legs, the report said.

Both men were being treated in Peking Union Medical Hospital.

Police said the suspect is a young man but didn't reveal his appearance. However witnesses described him as 1.7-meters tall with short hair and wearing a dark coat.

The American was attacked yesterday about noon in a parking lot at Full Link Plaza in Chaoyang District.

A news vendor owner just 20 meters from the scene told the newspaper the attack took less than one minute as the foreigner walked across the parking lot.

A plaza security guard flagged down a taxi to send the injured man to a hospital. A witness told police the victim was only carrying an English newspaper in his hand.

The Russian was attacked about 2:30pm at a fast-food restaurant near Beijing Railway Station, the report said.

"The man grabbed the foreigner’s bag and stabbed him," the manager of the restaurant told the newspaper. "Then he ran away with the bag."

The manager said the restaurant's security camera footage showed the robbery took only several seconds.

A waitress in the restaurant saw the suspect flee towards Beijing Railway Station, the report said.


The Russian man’s wife told the newspaper that her husband arrived in Beijing only two days before.

She said her husband’s bag contained a 20,000 yuan (US$2,941) laptop, plus cash and other valuables.