BEIJING — A Chinese man was arrested for saying on the Internet that he planned to grab the Olympic torch during its relay through eastern China, police said today.

The 28-year-old man, identified only as Tang, was detained in Zhenjiang in Jiangsu province in eastern China for alledgedly spreading rumors online and disturbing public order, said an official in the local public security bureau who would give only his surname, Zhang.

Tang was detained on May 7 and will be held for 10 days, Zhang said.

Tang is accused of writing in an Internet chat room that he wanted to organize a group to grab the torch when it arrives in Nanjing, near Zhenjiang, on May 24, state media and police said.

The official Xinhua News Agency said Tang works for a telecommunications company in Zhenjiang, and that he wrote a message in a chat room saying he was wanted by police for preparing to go to Nanjing to grab the Olympic torch.

That drew the attention of local police in Zhenjiang who began an investigation, Xinhua said. It quoted police as saying that while the rapid development of the Internet in China has allowed for more freedom of expression, users must stay within the law.

The government says the number of Internet users in China has soared to 221 million, making it one of the world's biggest online users.

Protests took place during international segments of the Olympic torch relay before the flame returned to China at the beginning of May, receiving a boisterous reception.

Police have been deployed in large numbers for the relay through southern China due to the enthusiasm of local spectators, according to Around the Rings, a Web site that monitors the event.

In Guangzhou, security officers had to extinguish the torch and alter its route because of the crush of supporters, the Web site said.

The torch is to cross every region and province of China, returning to Beijing on Aug. 6, two days ahead of the Olympics opening ceremony.