Two foreign tourists were stabbed by a man in front of a hotel near Beijing's Tian'anmen Square on Sunday afternoon, confirmed an official with the information office of the Beijing municipal government.

The tourists, both female, were Maria Stoeck from Germany and Anna Teresa Kuldat from Poland. They were rushed to hospital and now described as "in non-life threatening condition."

The official didn't disclose what kind of knife was used and which parts of the tourists were injured.

Patrolling police nabbed the suspect, 34-year-old Yuan Yu from Yangyuan County of north China's Hebei Province.

Yuan arrived in Beijing on Sunday morning, attempting to attract social attention to his personal plight by "creating disturbance," according to the official, who gave no other information about the suspect.

Further police investigations are underway.

(Xinhua News Agency August 27, 2007)