Taipei, Aug 18 (IANS): A man carrying a samurai sword attacked a military police officer outside Taiwan's presidential office on Friday, officials said.

The suspect, identified as 51-year-old unemployed man Lu Chun-yi, was arrested at the scene. He was carrying China's flag and claimed the act was politically motivated, authorities were quoted as saying by the South China Morning Post.

President Tsai Ing-wen was in the building attending a gathering for staff members' children at the time of the attack. Presidential office spokesman Alex Huang said the wounded officer was in a stable condition with cuts to his neck.

The incident occurred around 10 a.m. and the attacker was quickly overpowered by other military police guarding the building, Alex said.

Police said the attacker admitted stealing the sword from the nearby Armed Forces Museum using a hammer.

Ministry of National Defence spokesman Chen Chung-chi confirmed that the attacker used a hammer to break a glass case displaying the weapon.

The sword was used by the Japanese imperial troops during the 1937 Nanjing Massacre and was engraved with the words: "107 people killed in the Nanjing battle."