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| nig1 |
 Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 10:57 am |
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Joined: 08 Feb 2003
Posts: 1557
Location: Houston
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BEIJING -- The victims of a deadly stabbing attack at a tourist site in Beijing on the first day of the Olympic Games were the in-laws of the U.S. men's volleyball coach, the U.S Olympic Committee said Saturday.
The committee said Todd Bachman of Lakeville, Minn., the father of former U.S. Olympian Elisabeth Bachman, was killed. His wife, Barbara, suffered "serious and life-threatening" injuries and was transported to a local hospital for emergency treatment.
The assailant also stabbed and injured a Chinese woman serving as a tour guide with the Americans. He then committed suicide by throwing himself off a 130-foot-high balcony of the ancient landmark the Americans were visiting, the 13th century Drum Tower, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
Todd Bachman was president and CEO of Bachman's Inc., a Minneapolis-area garden center chain founded by his great-grandfather, Henry Bachman Sr., in 1885.
Their daughter, Elisabeth Bachman, a member of the 2004 U.S. women's volleyball team, is married to U.S. men's volleyball coach Hugh McCutcheon. She was present during the attack but was not injured, according to the USOC.
Personnel from the USOC and the United States Embassy were assisting the Bachman family at the hospital, the committee said.
The brutal attack shortly after midday was all the more shocking because of the rarity of violent crime against foreigners in tightly controlled China, which has ramped up security measures even more for the Olympics.
The stabbing came only hours after what by many accounts was the most spectacular opening ceremony in Olympic history and it has already dampened some of the enthusiasm.
"They are deeply saddened and shocked," Darryl Seibel, a spokesman for the U.S. Olympic Committee, said of the volleyball team.
"It is impossible to describe the depth of our sadness and shock in this tragic hour," said USOC chairman Peter Ueberroth. "Our delegation comes to the Games as a family, and when one member of our family suffers a loss, we all grieve with them. Our thoughts, prayers and deepest condolences are with the Bachman and McCutcheon families."
The official Xinhua News Agency identified the attacker as Tang Yongming, 47, from the eastern city of Hangzhou. It said Tang attacked the two Americans and their Chinese tour guide, who was also injured, at 12:20 p.m. on the second level of the ancient tower, then leapt to his death immediately afterward. The second level of the tower is about 130 feet high.
Seibel said the two Americans who were attacked were not wearing anything that would have identified them as Americans or part of the U.S. team.
"They were not wearing apparel or anything that would have specifically identified them as being members of our delegation" or as Americans, he told The Associated Press.
He said it is "too early to say" whether the U.S. delegation or athletes will require additional security.
The U.S. Embassy said it believed the attack was an isolated act and not directed at Americans or foreigners, given that the Chinese tour guide was also hurt.
"We don't believe this was targeted at American citizens, and we don't believe this has anything to do with the Olympics," embassy spokeswoman Susan Stevenson said.
The White House said President Bush, who is in Beijing for the opening days of the Games, was informed of the incident.
"Laura and I were also saddened by the attack on an American family and their Chinese tour guide today in Beijing. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. And the United States government has offered to provide any assistance the family needs."
China's Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment on the attack.
A USA basketball spokesman told ESPN.com that the U.S. men's basketball team was briefed on the attack by its director of security, Bernie Tolbert, and by the assistant executive director of men's basketball programs, Sean Ford. The team had no further comment.
Jennie Finch, a member of the U.S. softball team, said her heart skipped a beat when she heard about the attack, but she was undaunted.
"I'm here with my husband and son, so it's not easy but we're living our dreams and we're not going to live in fear," she said. "We're going to go out there every day and enjoy every day and celebrate it."
U.S. Ambassador Clark T. Randt visited the victims at a hospital in Beijing to convey the condolences of President Bush, who is in Beijing for the first days of the games.
Police blocked off streets leading to the Drum Tower immediately after the attack and cordoned off the area with yellow police tape. Security officers were examining the scene on the tower and below.
Attacks on foreigners in China are extremely rare. A Canadian model was murdered last month in Shanghai, but police said that was because she stumbled onto a burglary.
In March, a screaming, bomb-strapped hostage-taker who commandeered a bus with 10 Australians aboard in the popular tourist city of Xi'an was shot to death by a police sniper.
Shanghai and Beijing are still safer than most foreign cities of their size. Punishments for crimes against foreigners are heavier than for crimes against Chinese, and police-linked neighborhood watch groups are highly vigilant. Chinese are not allowed to own guns.
Even so, the U.S. government now warns Americans against muggings, beatings and even carjackings, especially in the nightlife and shopping districts of large cities.
Built in the 13th century, the Drum Tower is one of few ancient structures still in fast-developing Beijing. Drummers pounded their massive instruments on the hour to let people in the imperial city know the time.
International Olympic Committee spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau said in a statement that the committee had received reports of the attack and was in contact with Beijing Games organizers "to find out full details, and are ready to provide whatever assistance we can."
That's f** messed up. Getting robbed/mugged is understandable, but stabbed by some crazy Chinese? Why did he have to take it on them. Hate crimes against Americans? Another black eye for China. |
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| robWu |
| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 11:16 am |
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Joined: 15 Oct 2004
Posts: 1112
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| ****** happens.........at least a bomb didnt go off, like it did in the 96 olympics. |
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| bamboodragon |
| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 12:27 pm |
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Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Posts: 1669
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| Who did the stabbing? Probably a CIA or FBI informant trying to cause a stir. The Chinese have no reason to hurt a Volleyball coach. |
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| shokenchi |
| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 12:29 pm |
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Joined: 11 Nov 2004
Posts: 5723
Location: Guangxi
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| while its tragic that someone got killed, we cant let it spoil the whole event. condolences to the victims family. and just dont get pissed off if someone trying to make this into a political war of attack on china. those folks never like china to begin with so they are using this incident to fuel their hate, just like that a$$hole dan wetzel from yahoo. |
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| ko_xinga |
| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 12:41 pm |
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Joined: 24 Apr 2007
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bamboodragon wrote: Who did the stabbing? Probably a CIA or FBI informant trying to cause a stir. The Chinese have no reason to hurt a Volleyball coach.
why would CIA or fbi send someone to kill their own people? There's been a lot of violent crimes in the months leading to the olympics. Tibetan riots, bus bombings in kunming, attack on police station in Xinjiang, and now the stabbing in the bell tower. When was the last time there was a homicide in the ancient bell tower? does pryuen have an answer to this? |
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| yao2boki4_3 |
| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 1:27 pm |
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Joined: 27 Oct 2003
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ko_xinga wrote: bamboodragon wrote: Who did the stabbing? Probably a CIA or FBI informant trying to cause a stir. The Chinese have no reason to hurt a Volleyball coach.
why would CIA or fbi send someone to kill their own people? There's been a lot of violent crimes in the months leading to the olympics. Tibetan riots, bus bombings in kunming, attack on police station in Xinjiang, and now the stabbing in the bell tower. When was the last time there was a homicide in the ancient bell tower? does pryuen have an answer to this?
don't think for a second that the CIA/FBI will not kill an american citizen, you can go search false flag operations, they had plans to do this and blame it on the Cubans, it's not a conspiracy, it's documented through the freedom of information act.
that being said, this seems like a random act, but it can always be spun as part of the demonization campaign against China. You know how crazy americans get when one of their own(white american) gets killed on a foreign land. |
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| nig1 |
| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 1:37 pm |
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Joined: 08 Feb 2003
Posts: 1557
Location: Houston
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| sup with Chinese and knives? U have a deranged foo beheading a passenger in Canada, and now a lunatic stabbing innocent tourists. Next thing u know, Chinese are gonna be associated w/knives. |
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| bamboodragon |
| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 1:39 pm |
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Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Posts: 1669
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ko_xinga wrote: bamboodragon wrote: Who did the stabbing? Probably a CIA or FBI informant trying to cause a stir. The Chinese have no reason to hurt a Volleyball coach.
why would CIA or fbi send someone to kill their own people? There's been a lot of violent crimes in the months leading to the olympics. Tibetan riots, bus bombings in kunming, attack on police station in Xinjiang, and now the stabbing in the bell tower. When was the last time there was a homicide in the ancient bell tower? does pryuen have an answer to this?
Why? For political reasons, to create a stir and disrupt China's in it's welcoming to the world..... Some of those "free tibet" protesters are paid by FBI/CIA..
Suicide bombings in Iraq, (all American). Remember there were NO suicide bombings b4 Americans invaded. Whats really going on is American are planting bombs and setting it off Randomly. Then, blaming in suicide bombers.
"By way of deceptin".... |
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| ko_xinga |
| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 2:08 pm |
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Joined: 24 Apr 2007
Posts: 1274
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bamboodragon wrote: ko_xinga wrote: bamboodragon wrote: Who did the stabbing? Probably a CIA or FBI informant trying to cause a stir. The Chinese have no reason to hurt a Volleyball coach.
why would CIA or fbi send someone to kill their own people? There's been a lot of violent crimes in the months leading to the olympics. Tibetan riots, bus bombings in kunming, attack on police station in Xinjiang, and now the stabbing in the bell tower. When was the last time there was a homicide in the ancient bell tower? does pryuen have an answer to this?
Why? For political reasons, to create a stir and disrupt China's in it's welcoming to the world..... Some of those "free tibet" protesters are paid by FBI/CIA..
Suicide bombings in Iraq, (all American). Remember there were NO suicide bombings b4 Americans invaded. Whats really going on is American are planting bombs and setting it off Randomly. Then, blaming in suicide bombers.
"By way of deceptin"....
so you're saying the fbi/cia paid someone to stab some people then jump off a building 150ft off the ground to his death. |
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| nig1 |
| Posted: Sat Aug 09, 2008 2:17 pm |
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Joined: 08 Feb 2003
Posts: 1557
Location: Houston
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| I don't think he's demented but that was a demented answer. I agree CIA does some shady sh*t but his reasoning?....man, u wild, son. Not worth debating when ur thought-process wacked out. |
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