Beijing - Police on Friday said they planned to intensify already-tight security in central Beijing after a drunken man stabbed two people to death and injured 12 others, state media reported. The man was arrested after his rampage on the famous Dashilan shopping street, near the city's ancient Qianmen gate, early Thursday evening, the government's Xinhua news agency quoted city police as saying.
Fourteen people were injured in the attack by Zhang Jianfei, including two security guards who died in hospital after emergency treatment failed to save them, the agency said.
Zhang, 46, was from Jilin city in north-eastern China, where he had "created many disturbances under the influence of liquor," it said.
The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post said two more attackers escaped from the Dashilan area, but police insisted that only one attacker was involved.
Following the attack, police said they planned to strengthen security by increasing armed patrols in key areas of central Beijing to "ensure the safety of local residents and tourists."
The attack occurred amid already high security ahead of celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China on October 1.
Dashilan is about one kilometre south of Beijing's Tiananmen Square, the symbolic heart of the city.
Preparations are underway in the heavily guarded square for a final rehearsal from late Friday of military and civilian parades for the 60th anniversary.
Armed attacks are relatively rare on Beijing's streets, which are normally monitored by hundreds of thousands of security guards, volunteers, and uniformed and plain clothes police.
During last year's Olympic Games in Beijing, an unemployed man stabbed to death a US tourist at Beijing's ancient Drum Tower and then jumped to his death from the tower.
