The Drum Tower in Beijing was the site of the attack on Saturday

A Chinese man wielding a knife attacked 2 American tourists related to an American Olympic coach on Saturday, the first day of the Olympic Games, killing one of the tourists and wounding the other and their Chinese tour guide while the three were visiting an ancient tower in central Beijing. The attacker then killed himself by leaping from the tower.

The attack took place at noon on the second floor of the ancient Drum Tower, which lies on the north-south axis that runs from the Forbidden City to the main Olympic venue. The tower, a red dynastic-era building that was once used in conjunction with the nearby Bell Tower to signal the time of day, draws for tourists who climb up it for a sweeping view of one of the best preserved ancient neighborhoods in Beijing.

The previous night, during the opening ceremony, foreigners and Chinese had mingled in the neighborhood and crowded into bars at nearby Houhai Lake to watch the televised festivities.