Olympics 2008: Us Coach's Relative Murdered in Beijing

A Chinese man stabbed the relative of a US Olympic team coach to death in Beijing today and seriously injured another family member and her guide before committing suicide, officials said.

The man, whose relative coaches the men's volleyball team, died "during an attack by what local law enforcement authorities have indicated was a lone assailant", US Olympic officials in Beijing said in a statement, giving no further details.

The attack took place on the first full day of the Olympics, at one of the capital's most popular attractions.

The assailant, believed to be Tang Yongming, 47, struck at the Drum Tower in north Beijing shortly after noon. The man was killed outright while the female relative and her Chinese tour guide were rushed to hospital. A member of staff at the hospital said their condition was not yet clear but the US Olympic statement said the American woman's injuries were serious.

Tang, from Hangzhou in eastern Zhejiang province, then leapt from the 13th century tower. He was identified by an ID card found on his body, the Beijing municipal government said in a statement.

US embassy spokesman Richard Buangan said it was "aware of the reports of the accidents suffered by two American citizens. We are working with the Chinese authorities to find out more on the cause of the incident".

Police rushed to the scene after receiving an emergency call and closed off the area with yellow tape. Security officers were examining the scene on the tower and below.Attacks on foreigners are extremely rare in China, not least because they carry heavier punishment than crimes against Chinese people.

Beijing has relatively low crime levels compared to other major world cities and is under particularly intense security because of the Olympics.

The government has drafted in tens of thousands of extra police and troops – as well as volunteer wardens – in its determination to prevent protests, terrorism and other threats during the Olympics.

In a further – if more anticipated – blow to Beijing Olympic officials, the first full day of sport following last night's spectacular opening ceremony was marked by a series of protests.

On Tiananmen Square in central Beijing a small group of pro-Tibet activists wrapped themselves in Tibetan flags and lay down. The five protesters were swiftly dragged away by plain-clothes police officers.

In Hong Kong, where the games' equestrian events are taking place, a student in the crowd for the first day of competition was removed after trying to display a Tibetan flag.

The student, named as Christina Chan, was sitting in the front row with a Canadian flag. When she tried to peel away that flag to reveal a Tibetan emblem beneath, security officers covered her with a cloth and asked her to leave. They carried her out of the venue after she refused to go of her own free will.

Activists have promised to use the global focus on China during the games to highlight the country's abuses of civil and religious freedoms, particularly in Tibet.

Beijing has ruled the Himalayan territory, which it claims as an integral part of China, for more than 50 years.