Hong Kong police make 3 arrests in another explosives-related case

A police officer is seen wearing a bomb suit during a media tour of the Hong Kong Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bureau depot in Hong Kong on Dec 6, 2019. PHOTO: AFP

HONG KONG (AP, XINHUA) - Hong Kong police said they arrested three men on Saturday (Dec 14) for testing homemade explosives that they suspect were intended for use during protests.

The men were arrested in Tuen Mun and police seized chemicals, suspected explosives and remote controls, similar to what had been found in previous cases.

Defensive equipment used during the test were also found, including a bulletproof steel plate and a gas mask.

Li Kwai-wah, senior superintendent of the organized crime and triad bureau, said the test was designed to improve the performance of explosives for possible attacks in processions and assemblies in the future.

The arrests are the latest in a rash of explosives-related cases police say they have uncovered since protests erupted in June over a proposed extradition law and snowballed into an anti-government movement.

On Monday, police said they defused two homemade bombs packed with nails.

Police suspect they may have been intended for use against officers and said the bombs were to be triggered with cellphones.

In July, police announced the seizure of about 2kg of TATP, which has been used in militant attacks worldwide.

Other recent seizures involved smaller amounts of the explosive.

In Hong Kong, causing an explosion that is likely to endanger life or property is a serious offence that carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

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