Man detonates small explosive near US embassy in Beijing

A man detonated a small explosive near the U.S. embassy in Beijing, injuring only himself, officials said.

The incident occurred around 1 p.m. local time in a public space off the southeast corner of the compound, according to a statement from a spokesperson at the U.S. embassy obtained by ABC News.

"There was one individual who detonated a bomb," the spokesperson said. "Other than the bomber, there were no injuries. The local police responded."

A 26-year-old man from Inner Mongolia detonated what authorities are calling "a firecracker device," the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau wrote on its official Weibo account.

The suspect was identified as having the last name Jiang. He's being treated at a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said.

The U.S. embassy building was not damaged, the spokesperson said.

A woman selling maps outside the embassy told ABC News she saw the man detonate the bomb.

"I was really scared and ran away," said Mrs. Liu, who only provided her last name.

A young man who asked to be identified only as Mr. Li said he was waiting outside the embassy for a visa interview when he heard the explosion. He said that it "sounded like muffled fireworks" and that his ears were buzzing afterward. He thought a tire had exploded.

ABC News' Kaijing Xiao and Karson Yiu contributed to this story.