Murder Casts Shadow Over Olympic Party

China's winning start to the Olympics was overshadowed yesterday by a double murder, involving a relative of the US men's volleyball coach.

A knife-wielding Chinese man fatally stabbed Todd Bachman, the father of former Olympian Elisabeth Bachman, and his Chinese tour guide before throwing himself off the 40-meter-high viewing platform of the Drum Tower, one of Beijing's most famous tourist spots. His wife, Barbara, was injured in the early afternoon attack. Elisabeth Bachman is married to US men's volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon.

Such a murderous assault is extremely rare in Beijing, which has a low crime rate compared to most cities of its size.

State media identified the killer as Tang Yongming, a 47-year-old native of Hangzhou in the south-eastern province of Zhejiang. His motive is unknown, but local law authorities described him as a lone assailant.

The crime put a damper on the festivities, which had come to life after Friday's spectacular opening ceremony and a strong start for the host nation, which won two golds on day one. 'They are deeply saddened and shocked,' the US Olympic Committee spokesman Darryl Seibel said of the volleyball team. He said the two Americans 'were not wearing apparel or anything that would have specifically identified them as being members of the delegation or as Americans'.

The crime scene was quickly cleared by police. By mid-afternoon the green gates of the Drum Tower - normally a popular site - were locked. Through the rails, all that was visible was a sanded area on the grey tiled floor where bystanders said the police had previously covered a body with a blanket.

'I heard a woman screaming and then people running in the direction where the screams came from. It sounded like the screams came from the top of the Drum Tower,' said a foreigner who was in the area.

Chinese residents, who lived and worked within a few seconds' walk from the scene of the crime, appeared to be under orders not to discuss the incident. 'Why are you paying so much attention to this? Murders happen all the time. You should pay attention to the two gold medals that China won today,' said a middle-aged woman in a flower-patterned shirt.

Beijing has drafted in an extra 100,000 police and paramilitaries to ensure security at the event, which China hopes to use to highlight its re-emergence as a global power. But sporadic, small-scale protests continue to deflect attention from the sporting spectacle.

On the opening day, five pro-Tibet activists draped themselves in Tibetan flags and lay down on Tiananmen Square in protest at the Chinese government's heavy-handed rule in Tibet. They were swiftly dragged away by plainclothes police officers. At the start of the equestrian events in Hong Kong, police removed a student from the crowd after she tried to display a Tibetan flag that had been concealed beneath a Canadian banner.

Following the precedent set by previous hosts, the organizers in Beijing have established three protest zones. But no one appears to have used them, and two groups of protesters who tried to do so were reportedly either forced to leave Beijing or detained by police.

Concerns about human rights violations have been strengthened by the disappearance of activist Zeng Jinyan, who has not been seen since last Thursday when the Olympic torch passed close to her home. Since Zeng's husband, Hu Jia, was jailed earlier this year, she and their eight-month-old baby have been under constant watch by the authorities.

In her last blog, Zeng said that she was under extra surveillance before the Games and asked friends to stay away. When The Observer tried to call, her phone was out of service.

'All attempts to contact her have failed. It is feared that Zeng has been taken into police custody and might be mistreated,' China Human Rights Defenders said. Another prominent activist, Maggie Hou, has also been out of touch for several days.

Human rights disputes and security concerns have taken some of the shine off the lavish celebrations and warm welcome from local people. Before the Games, the organizers forecast that the spectacle would draw 500,000 foreign visitors, generating hundreds of millions of dollars for hotels, restaurants and taxi firms.

But a tightening of visa regulations, security concerns and negative reports about pollution appear to have discouraged many from coming.

'It's as though we spent a long time preparing a big feast, and then nobody turned up to eat it,' said a local taxi driver, as she surveyed the unusually empty roads and complained about the lack of customers.