Hong Kong protests: police to consider invoking anti-terrorist legislation for the first time when prosecuting bomb suspects, sources say
- Such a move would have ‘symbolic meaning’ to highlight how serious the situation has become in Hong Kong
- Force will also conduct large-scale drills with other government departments and map out policies to raise readiness for home-grown terrorism
While they would be unable to build a terrorism case without the government legally categorising individuals or groups as terrorists – which is highly unlikely at this stage – the move would be a symbolic one to highlight how serious the situation has become, a source said.
On Monday, four men and two women were charged with conspiring to cause an explosion likely to endanger life or to cause serious injury to property. Two of the men and one of the women were also charged with possessing anything with intent to destroy or damage property. The other 11 were released on bail.
Under the city’s United Nations (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Ordinance, Hong Kong’s leader could apply to the court for an order to specify that a suspect was a terrorist or terrorist associate.