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American Killed in Olympics Attack

By CNN

A Chinese attacker stabbed two Americans, killing the man and wounding the woman, who were attending the Olympic Games on Saturday American Killed in Olympics Attack

Published: Sat, August 09, 2008 - 8:05 am

A Chinese attacker stabbed two Americans, killing the man and wounding the woman, who were attending the Olympic Games on Saturday, according to the U.S. Olympic Committee.

The man also injured a female Chinese tour guide before leaping to his death around noon from the second floor of the Drum Tower, a popular Beijing tourist site, the official Chinese news agency Xinhua reported.

The USOC said the two Americans were family members of a coach for the U.S. men's indoor volleyball team. No other information about them was released.

The attacker was a 47-year-old man from the eastern Chinese city Hangzhou, a spokesman for the Beijing Municipal Government Information Office told Xinhua.

A White House spokesman said President Bush, who is attending Olympic events Saturday, was told about the attack against the Americans.

The U.S. Embassy and the White House have offered the victims' families whatever assistance is needed, the spokesman said.

The Drum Tower was built in 1272 during the reign of Kublai Khan and has been damaged and rebuilt several times, according to China tourism Web sites.