4 yıl önce

Seven arrested in Hong Kong for allegedly assisting stabbing suspect

Police said the seven arrested – five men and two women – could face up to 10 years in prison for "assisting" a man suspected of stabbing a police officer during a protest against a new national security law on July 1.

AFP

Guests drive past barriers near the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region after its official inauguration in Hong Kong on July 8, 2020.

Hong Kong police have arrested seven people for "assisting" a man suspected of stabbing a police officer during a protest against a new national security law on July 1.

Authorities on Friday arrested five men and two women aged between 24 and 71 on suspicion of offences, including helping the suspect purchase an air ticket and arrange transportation to the airport, police said at a press briefing.

"We do not rule out the possibility that more people will be arrested afterwards," said Yau Kin-hung, a senior police officer.

On July 2, police arrested a 24-year-old man at the airport on suspicion of stabbing and wounding an officer during the demonstration just hours after the new law was imposed.

Anti-Beijing protests

Police arrested more than 300 people following the protests on July 1, firing water cannon and tear gas at demonstrators who defied the sweeping security legislation introduced by China to snuff out dissent in the former British colony.

The legislation punishes crimes related to secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces, with punishments of up to life in prison.

Police said the seven arrested could face up to 10 years in prison for "assisting" the suspect.

Following the incident, Hong Kong police had posted images on Twitter of an officer with a bleeding arm saying he was stabbed by "rioters holding sharp objects".

China's parliament adopted the security law in response to protests last year triggered by fears Beijing was stifling the city's freedoms and threatening its judicial independence, guaranteed by a "one country, two systems" formula agreed when it returned to China.

Beijing has denied interfering and officials say the law is vital to plug holes in national security defences exposed by the protests.