British tourist stabbed in Rio de Janeiro

A 35-year-old British woman was stabbed in the arm during a robbery attempt in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, authorities said.

Katherine Oliver, of London, had to be hospitalized with three deep stab wounds in the right arm following the afternoon attack near Rio's downtown, said Mauricio Paixao, an officer with Rio's police division dedicated to protecting tourists. She was later released and was in good condition.

Oliver was stabbed after four young men on two motorcycles approached and tried to steal her purse. She resisted, prompting one of the men to stab her in the arm several times with a kitchen knife, police said. The robbers ended fleeing without taking anything.

No suspects had been arrested, police said. Rio de Janeiro is one of the most violent cities in the world with a homicide rate of about 50 per 100,000 people.

While most of the killings are confined to Rio's shantytowns and the city's poor outskirts, tourists are a popular target for robberies as they are considered easy prey, AP reports.

A. A.