The Hong Kong police reported yesterday (9th) that they believe that a local radical organization active on social communication platforms has been founded in "Telegram" to set up a group to make radical remarks such as killing police officers, advocating violence and hatred of the government and anti-social behavior, in an attempt to create weapons of mass destruction and plan violent actions. The police arrested six people on suspicion of inciting others and possessing offensive weapons. The case will be brought before the Eastern Magistrates' Court this morning.
At about 11:00 a.m. yesterday, Senior Superintendent Tam Wai Shin, Acting Superintendent of the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau of the Police, briefed the media and opened a live broadcast on the "Hong Kong Police" Facebook. Superintendent Tam confessed the facts of the case, saying that in recent months, a local militant group was found suspected of setting up a group on social communication platforms, making hate and anti-social remarks, and preparing different equipment to plan violent actions. The Police collected more than 2,000 messages and found that the words "massacre by force", "massacre", "mass explosion" and "funeral" were mentioned, and how to purchase, manufacture and use offensive weapons such as explosives and electric guns, how to stab police officers and government epidemic prevention personnel with sharp weapons, and how to purchase and study the use of offensive weapons such as electric guns. Tam Said said the discussion "seriously endangers social public safety and threatens the lives of citizens" is worrying.
After an in-depth investigation, the police targeted a militant group that had been active on social communication platforms since February and launched an operation in various districts of Hong Kong on Saturday (7 February), arresting 6 members of the group, aged between 16 and 36 years old, during which 9 mobile phones, 1 laptop computer, and small weapons, including 2 homemade bows and crossbows, 15 arrows, 2 imitation firearms and 1 dagger, as well as a small amount of suspected marijuana and about 147 grams of essential oil suspected of containing marijuana ingredients were seized. Those arrested were charged with "inciting others with intent to harm a person," "publishing incitement publications," "possessing offensive weapons," "possessing imitation firearms" and "possessing dangerous drugs."
The four men and 2 women arrested were the backbone members of the organization, the main brain was the 35-year-old warehouse clerk, and the remaining 5 members were the backbone and administrator of the group, including 2 students aged 16 and 19 respectively, 1 17-year-old reported unemployed, 1 36-year-old computer technician and 1 28-year-old security guard. Among them, three men have been provisionally charged with a total of one count of "conspiracy to incite others with intent to harm others" and were brought to court this morning in the Eastern District Court; the remaining 3 have been released on bail pending investigation and must report to the police in the middle of this month.
The police said they had deleted the group and believed they had successfully dismantled the group, but would continue to investigate and not rule out more arrests. The spokesman stressed that the Police will continue to maintain a high level of vigilance and patrolling both online and offline to prevent radical ideas from evolving into the threat of Turkish terrorism to ensure the safety of the public.
As of 5 p.m. yesterday, the live link on the Facebook page of the "Hong Kong Police" had received 1,648 likes and 612 comments. Netizens' messages in Chinese and English mostly expressed their gratitude and support to the Hong Kong police. In other interactive media reports, in addition to the affirmation of the police action, there are also many netizens commenting, the personnel involved "have a book to read well and bury it, that is, they harm themselves", some people said that they would assist the police in action, "support the police to completely annihilate bad students", and some people criticized Huang Si's remarks of "having a case, life is more exciting" and harmed a generation of young students.
