Chinese rock star damages newspaper office, sets car on fire

May 11, 2006, 11:57 GMT

Beijing - One of China's best-known rock musicians, singer-songwriter Dou Wei, was arrested after he smashed computers at a newspaper office and set alight a parked car, state media said on Thursday.

Police arrested Dou on Wednesday evening outside the main offices of the Beijing News, where he also poured water over an editor and shouted at a newspaper reporter.

The singer had vented his anger over two Beijing News reports that he said contained false information about his alleged financial problems and his relationship with his former girlfriend.

He smashed the computers and a television set on Wednesday morning, before returning early Wednesday evening to pour petrol over the car and set fire to it, the newspaper said.

The Beijing News defended its reports on Thursday, as it published pictures of Dou standing by the burning car and later being led away by police officers.

'The main facts of the reports are accurate,' it said.

Dou became famous in the early 1990s with his rock band Black Panther and for his relationship with Hong Kong-based pop star Faye Wong, who is known in mainland China as Wang Fei.

He now writes and performs avant-garde folk-rock songs with his new band in Beijing.