Man held after employee at Israel’s embassy in China stabbed in Beijing street

A man has been apprehended following an assault on an employee of Israel's embassy in Beijing, China. The incident occurred on a street in the Chinese capital. The police in Beijing's Chaoyang district reported that the victim, a 50-year-old individual, was also a family member of a diplomat. The assault took place in front of a supermarket in the Zuojiazhuang neighbourhood around 2pm on Friday. The suspect, according to the police, is a 53-year-old man involved in the small goods business. However, they did not disclose further details such as the man's nationality. The Israeli embassy issued a statement saying, 'An Israeli employee at the Israeli embassy in Beijing was attacked today. The employee is currently receiving treatment in a hospital and his condition is stable. The background of the attack is being investigated. ' The diplomat is also receiving medical treatment following the attack. A video circulating on social media, which cannot be independently verified, appears to show a man being stabbed multiple times in the shoulder and chest, and subsequently falling to the ground. The video also displays what seems to be blood on the pavement. Eyewitnesses who arrived at the scene shortly after the incident stated that the attacker in the video resembled a man they saw wielding a knife. In another video clip, witnesses informed police officers that the attacker appeared to be non-Chinese. The victim, who identified himself as an employee of the Israeli embassy, was transported to the hospital in a police vehicle. One witness recounted that the attack occurred outside a supermarket in the Chaoyang district, approximately 1. 5km from the Israeli embassy. She reported hearing someone screaming and then observed a bloodied man in a plaid shirt leaning against a car. The police arrived at the scene a few minutes later, followed by an ambulance. A passer-by who was proficient in English assisted the victim in communicating with the police. The police conducted an inspection of the crime scene, took photographs, and requested CCTV footage from surrounding shops before departing about an hour later. Later in the evening, at least three police cars were visible at the scene. Another witness reported that the screams outside the supermarket attracted shoppers, some of whom alerted the police. He claimed to have seen a tall, thin man in a white top, armed with a knife, leaving the scene and heading west. Nicolas Burns, the US ambassador to China, expressed his shock at the attack. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, he wrote, 'I spoke with Israel's ambassador to China, Irit Ben-Abba, and have offered our full support to the Israeli embassy and Israeli community in China. ' Meanwhile, Hu Xijin, the former editor-in-chief of tabloid Global Times, condemned the attack, describing it as an act of terrorism. He wrote on the social media platform Weibo, 'Such an attack, no matter what the purpose, has seriously broken the law on Chinese territory, and should be pursued by the law. ' He stated that the Chinese public 'firmly opposes terrorism', and any illegal and radical behaviour related to the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians will not be 'accepted or welcomed'. He also suggested that while it is 'natural that people would associate the attack' with the current conflict in the Middle East, they should wait for 'further official information about who the attacker is and whether [that attack] is motivated by the conflict. ' A policeman at Xinyuanli police station claimed he was 'not aware' of the case, when contacted by phone. The public security bureau in Chaoyang, the district where most foreign embassies are located, did not answer the phone. On Friday evening, a police car and a number of officers in plain clothes were seen outside the Israeli embassy in Beijing. There was also a police car and at least two plain clothes officers on duty outside the Palestinian embassy. Chinese diplomats have pledged to work towards a ceasefire and have called for 'peaceful coexistence' between the two sides. They have also reiterated Beijing's long-standing support for a Palestinian side, but Israel has expressed 'deep disappointment' over China's response to the attacks by Hamas.