HK police arrest nine over bomb plot

Police in Hong Kong have arrested nine people aged 15 to 39 in connection with a bomb plot, officials said yesterday.

Of the five males and four females, six are secondary school students, said Senior Superintendent Li Kwai Wah of the police national security department, adding that the operation was conducted on Monday.

The others are a university management employee, a member of the school's staff and a driver.

In a briefing yesterday, the authorities said the group, detained under the national security law for terrorism, had sufficient funds to rent a Tsim Sha Tsui hostel room to set up an explosives lab.

The suspects had planned to place the bombs in a car and in public areas, including the crossover tunnel, courtrooms and in dustbins along the streets, to "maximise the damage caused to society".

"As far as we know, they have already conducted the recce (of) at least two courtrooms in Hong Kong," said Supt Li, referring to the group.

He said there was a good division of labour among the suspects, with some providing funds and some sourcing the items needed to make triacetone triperoxide (TATP). Other suspects were the "scientists" producing the TATP in the room, he said.

The nine are said to be independence supporters linked to a group, called Returning Valiant, whose members have been arrested in the past.

In early May, members of Returning Valiant were arrested for subverting the state.

The students were recruited with promises of money and assistance to leave Hong Kong for good, Supt Li noted.

During the police operation, the authorities confiscated items including materials to make TATP, airguns, electronic devices believed to be for use in the planned attack, as well as HK$90,000 (S$15,600) in cash and SIM cards.

From the cash amount, the equivalent of HK$10,000 was in foreign currency. The police have frozen HK$600,000 in bank funds linked to this plot.

This comes in the wake of an incident on July 1, when a 50-year-old man stabbed a 28-year-old police officer on duty in Causeway Bay before stabbing himself in his chest. He died later the same night. The officer is in recovery.

July 1 marked not only the 24th anniversary of Hong Kong's handover from British rule back to China, but was also the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China.

In recent days, three arrests have been made related to inciting others to murder officers or setting fire to police premises.

Separately, a man and a woman aged 19 and 24 were arrested in connection with a suspected firebomb attack at the Chief Executive's residence in Central on July 1.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam said at the weekly briefing yesterday morning that her office has received an envelope containing white powder.

"They have now turned from above-ground terrorist activities to underground hidden terrorist activities. This is a hidden threat faced by us. We need to work on different fronts to tackle these threats," she said.

Mrs Lam also expressed dismay at residents, some of whom had their children with them, who mourned last Friday the death of the man who stabbed the officer.

"For a long time, citizens have been exposed to wrong ideas, such as achieving justice through illegal means."

Government departments, Mrs Lam noted, "shouldn't allow illegal ideas to filter through to the public through education, broadcasting, arts and culture, beautifying violence and clouding the conscience of the public".

She said "ideologies" posed risks to national security and urged parents, teachers and religious leaders to observe the behaviour of teenagers and report those who break the law to the authorities.

Mrs Lam added that on the policy front, the government will step up efforts to explore the implementation of relevant laws that will further stabilise society and the national security law.