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HKFP
3 days ago
- General
- HKFP
National security police arrest 5 over alleged bomb threats, promoting Hong Kong independence
Hong Kong's national security police have arrested five people suspected of making fake bomb threats and promoting the city's independence. The five suspects – a 35-year-old man and four women aged 20 to 38 – were arrested on Monday, National Security Police Chief Superintendent Steve Li told reporters on Tuesday afternoon. Police also seized several phones and computers after searching four locations, he said. Between April 29 and May 20, police received messages advocating Taiwan independence and the repeal of Hong Kong's national security laws via email and social media, the chief superintendent said. 'In one of the messages, they even claimed that they would trigger a bomb that he had already placed in the Central Government Offices in Hong Kong, ' Li said in Cantonese. 'On May 13, the person became agitated and called 999, claiming that he had placed bombs in Kai Tak Sports Park, where a concert was going to be held later that day. He said he would trigger the bombs and promote the idea of Hong Kong independence and Taiwan independence.' Taiwanese band Mayday held a concert at Kai Tak Sports Park on May 13. Police found nothing suspicious after searching the venue that day, and the concert was not affected, Li told reporters. He said that police believed the male suspect used voice-altering software to make the call via his mobile phone on May 13 in Hung Hom. 'He then threw the mobile phone into the sea in Hung Hom,' Li said. 'Since the mobile phone is an important piece of evidence in the case, we have arranged for frogmen to search for the phone in the sea.' With no bombs having been found, the police are investigating the suspects' motives and political stances. Asked by a reporter why police disclosed the case weeks after it happened and whether the timing of the press conference was linked to June 4 – the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown anniversary, Li said the police briefing was held on Tuesday because the arrests were made on Monday. The Tiananmen crackdown occurred on June 4, 1989, ending months of student-led demonstrations in China. It is estimated that hundreds, perhaps thousands, died when the People's Liberation Army cracked down on protesters in Beijing.
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong police arrest 5 after probe into bomb threat targeting Mayday show
Hong Kong national security police have arrested five people following an investigation into bomb threats targeting a local concert by Taiwanese band Mayday and calls for independence for the self-ruled island and the city. Advertisement Chief Superintendent Steve Li Kwai-wah of the force's National Security Department said on Tuesday that police had received emails and social media posts between April 29 and May 20 that promoted Taiwanese independence and called for the abolition of the city's Beijing-decreed national security law. The message also included threats to detonate a bomb supposedly hidden at central government premises in Hong Kong, he added. One of the suspects, a 35-year-old man, also allegedly called the 999 emergency line on May 13 and claimed a bomb would go off at Kai Tak Sports Park while the venue was hosting a concert by Mayday. The suspect is also believed to have expressed support for Hong Kong and Taiwanese independence. One of the bomb threats targeted Kai Tak Sports Park. Photo: Jonathan Wong Li said officers searched for any suspicious objects at the venue before the show but found nothing.
RTHK
3 days ago
- General
- RTHK
National security police arrest five over bomb threats
National security police arrest five over bomb threats Steve Li said police have so far found no explosive devices in connection with the case. Photo: RTHK National security police said on Tuesday that they have arrested a man and four women on suspicion of being involved in bogus bomb threats and posting messages online advocating secession. The suspects, aged between 20 and 38, were arrested on Monday, with officers seizing a number of phones and computers after searching four flats. The force said that between April 29 and May 20, the man, 35, is suspected to have sent e-mails to the force and posted messages on social media promoting independence for Taiwan. Officers say he also called for the abolition of the National Security Law, and claimed that he would set off a bomb placed at one of the nation's offices in Hong Kong. The force further accused the suspect of making an emergency 999 call on May 13 to claim he had planted a bomb at the Kai Tak Sports Park where a concert was to be held – while allegedly promoting Hong Kong and Taiwan Independence. The chief superintendent of the national security department, Steve Li, said police arrived and searched the park on the day and didn't find anything suspicious, so the concert wasn't affected. "We understand that the suspect used a voice altering device to create an audio file and called 999 through his mobile phone from Hung Hom. After that, he immediately threw the phone into the sea," Li told reporters. "Because this phone is very important to the case, we'll send divers in to search for the phone." The chief superintendent said police haven't found any explosive devices so far in connection with the case, and officers are investigating possible motives and the political stances of the suspects. Li noted that the national security crime of threatening to commit terrorism carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, while those convicted of bomb hoaxes can be jailed for up to five years.
