Beijing police save female hostage

Beijing police on Thursday rescued a woman who was taken hostage at knifepoint, according to a police statement.

Police received calls around 10:21 a.m. saying a woman was being held hostage by a knife-wielding man in a hotel in the city's Fengtai district, the statement said.

It took police one-and-a-half hours to forcefully apprehend the man and rescue the woman.

An initial investigation showed that both the attacker and the woman knew each other, although the attacker's motive is not yet known.

A further investigation is under way.