POLICE in southern China said the man who stabbed veteran Hong Kong actor Simon Yam at an event suffers from paranoid schizophrenia.

A 53-year-old man, surnamed Chen, was detained following the attack in the Zhongshan Huoju Development Zone in Guangdong Province, police said Saturday evening.

Chen rushed the stage and stabbed the 64-year-old actor with a fruit knife during an opening celebration for a business venue where Yam was invited to speak.

Yam underwent a minor operation at a hospital in Zhongshan City and back to Hong Kong for further therapy on Saturday evening, his manager Lester Mo said.

“He was stabbed in the tummy area and also got a cut on his right hand,” Mo said. He was still being treated for injuries to the four fingers of his right hand.

Yam, who is also known by his Chinese name Yam Tat-wah, has appeared in more than 125 movies and 40 television series. He played the villain Chen Lo in the 2003 Hollywood film “Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life.”

(SD-Agencies)