Two men were arrested on Tuesday by the Hong Kong police in connection with suspected possession of explosives and weapons found during a home raid. The pair had threatened on social media publicly to “kill public figures” and cause “bloodshed” at police stations, police said.
The Organized Crime and Triad Bureau arrested a 29-year-old man surnamed Lee and a 32-year-old surnamed Cheung in their respective homes in Lam Tin and Tai Po, police said during a press briefing on Tuesday.
They seized chemical substances that could be used for making explosives, ammunition, suspected gun parts and imitation firearms during a raid following the men’s arrest on Tuesday morning, police said. Items seized included seven 1.5-kilogram bags of potassium nitrate and sulphur powder, and 580 cartridges for concrete nail guns.
They were suspected to have committed the offences of “seditious intent,” “making or keeping explosive with intent to endanger life or property,” illegal possession of firearms and imitation weapons, police said.
Officers did not indicate the people and locations the men targeted in their threats but said they found the pair had chat records that discussed assembling firearms, as well as hand-drawn sketches showing their assembly.
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