George Harrison [ tickets ] was recovering in a hospital Northwest of London on Thursday (12/30) after suffering a one-inch-deep stab wound during a struggle with a man who broke into his home early this morning. The 56-year-old former Beatle and his wife, Olivia, reportedly overpowered the intruder and held him until police arrived.

The intruder's 7-inch knife reportedly penetrated Harrison's chest wall and collapsed his right lung, but doctors said the injuries weren't life-threatening and that Harrison, who was in stable condition, shouldn't suffer any long-term problems from his injury. Mrs. Harrison suffered only cuts and bruises.

According to British press accounts, police doubt that the intruder's motive was to burglarize Harrison's home, and they are questioning the suspect -- 33-year-old Michael Abram of Liverpool -- for attempted murder. ''We are treating this incident very seriously,'' Detective Chief Inspector Euan Read of the Thames Valley Police said in a statement. ''This was a nasty assault on Mr. Harrison and his wife.''

The victim's mother told the Liverpool Echo that Abram had a history of mental health problems and that he recently became fixated on The Beatles.

According to the BBC, security is very heavy around Harrison's 120 room mansion, which sits on a 34 acres in Oxfordshire, England. The estate is surrounded by 10-foot-high, barbed-wire-topped fences and reinforced gates, and is patrolled by cameras and by guard dogs. Harrison has reportedly received several death threats since the Beatles' John Lennon was killed outside his New York apartment building by an obsessed fan in 1980, and security was tightened further following an attempted break-in two years ago.

In a press conference, police said that Harrison heard the sound of breaking glass at about 3:30 a.m., and he encountered the intruder after he got out of bed to investigate the noise. After a struggle that left blood splattered in three of the mansion's rooms, Mrs. Harrison stunned the intruder by hitting him over the head with a lamp, allowing the couple to detain the man until help arrived.

The intruder remained hospitalized for head injuries on Thursday.