Pro-Tibet protesters detained as China's Xi arrives in Bern


              People protest in front of the police for a free Tibet and against the visit of China's President Xi Jinping  in Bern, on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017. (Anthony Anex/Keystone via AP)
People protest in front of the police for a free Tibet and against the visit of China's President Xi Jinping in Bern, on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017. (Anthony Anex/Keystone via AP)

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) - Police in the Swiss capital of Bern say they've prevented a pro-Tibet protester from setting himself on fire on the sidelines of a demonstration against the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Bern police say 32 people were stopped for refusing identity checks and other disruptions Sunday as part of their deployment to secure Xi's visit. On the sidelines of a demonstration around midday, security officials prevented a man who had doused himself with a flammable liquid from setting it on fire.

Xi on Sunday kicked off a four-day visit to Switzerland, the first this century by a Chinese leader. It includes planned stops in Geneva, Lausanne and to the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Police spokesman Christoph Gnaegi said those taken in by police were later released.

Upcoming Events