BEIJING, CHINA - A man stabbed two security guards to death with a knife and wounded 12 other people in central Beijing, despite increased security ahead of the 60th anniversary of Communist rule in China.

Zhang Jianfei, 46, of northeastern Jilin province, allegedly attacked the people late Thursday in Dashilan, the oldest commercial street in Beijing near the southern end of Tiananmen Square, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

The attack came less than a day before authorities carry out a rehearsal at the northern end of the square for the Oct 1 National Day parade, with military hardware including tanks and rocket launchers. Tiananmen is under heavy security for the rehearsal.

The wounded were taken to a nearby hospital where the two guards later died, the report said. Xinhua gave no reason for the attack, but quoted police as saying Zhang was drunk at the time. It said he was captured in Dashilan by police on patrol.

Extra security has been in place in Beijing ahead of the Oct 1, when the country will celebrate 60 years of Communist rule. Tiananmen will be the focus of the commemorations, with a massive military parade crossing through the square.

The Beijing police would not comment on the attack.

There was a conflicting report about the number of attacks. Hong Kong's South China Morning Post said there were three men carrying knives and that two of them escaped.

However, a woman surnamed Xu from the news office of the Propaganda Department of the Communist Party of Beijing said there was only one suspect in the case. Xu declined to give any other details.

--The China Post/ANN