Hong Kong cannot be ruled out as a possible support centre for the al-Qaeda network as links between the SAR and the terror group grow, a leading expert on international terrorism has warned.
After last week's 'Stinger sting', government officials and commercial security experts continued to insist that the SAR was neither a base for nor a prime target of international terrorists. But Professor Paul Wilkinson, of the Centre for the Study of Terrorism at St Andrews University in Scotland, warned Hong Kong was more vulnerable than it appeared.
He told the Sunday Morning Post that Hong Kong could be a place used by terrorists to carry out support activities.
'Hong Kong's importance as a finance centre and its quick and efficient transport system, which allows easy access to almost any part of the region, are important factors,' he said.
'And with the multi-ethnic mix that is Hong Kong society, this throws up the issue of support networks, however loose, which are important.
'I'm sure the Hong Kong authorities are well aware of this.