Small bomb set off outside US Embassy in Beijing

Jane Onyanga-Omara | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Man explodes small device outside US Embassy in Beijing Chinese police say a small homemade device exploded outside the U.S. Embassy in Beijing on Thursday. A 26-year-old man threw it and only hurt himself. Authorities identified the man only by his surname, Jiang. No other injuries were reported. (July 26)

A man set off a small homemade bomb outside the U.S. Embassy in Beijing on Thursday, injuring only himself, Chinese police and U.S. officials said.

Photos posted on Twitter showed a large amount of smoke and what appeared to be police vehicles surrounding the building.

The Beijing Police Department identified the 26-year-old suspect only by his surname, Jiang, and said he was from Tongliao city in the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia.

Jiang was injured on the hand by the device, which was made from fireworks, when it exploded at about 1 p.m. local time, police said.

The motive isn't known and the investigation into the incident is continuing.

"There was one individual who detonated a bomb. Other than the bomber, there were no injuries. The local police responded," an embassy spokesperson said in a statement carried by CNN.

It came after reports of an explosion or fire outside the embassy, in the northeast of the Chinese capital.

Earlier Thursday, state media reported that a woman sprayed gasoline on herself in a suspected self-immolation attempt outside the embassy.

Global Times, the ruling Communist Party’s newspaper, said police detained the woman and took her away at around 11 a.m. local time.

China and the U.S. are in the middle of a trade dispute, but America remains a hugely popular destination for travel, education and immigration for Chinese citizens.

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Contributing: The Associated Press