Hong Kong police arrest 38-year-old man and his parents following seizure of handgun, ammunition
- A 9mm-calibre handgun, 390 rounds of ammunition, some gun parts and a retractable baton were found at a village house off Shek Po Road in Yuen Long
- Investigation shows some of the items were airmailed into city from US and officers are trying to ascertain their intended use
Hong Kong police have arrested a 38-year-old man and his parents, following the seizure of a handgun along with 390 bullets and gun parts, most of which were suspected to have been airmailed into the city from the United States.
Officers were investigating the intended use of the firearm and ammunition, including whether they were procured to attack police, Superintendent Raymond Chou of the narcotics bureau said on Wednesday.
“The force noticed that someone recently made claims on a social media platform that real guns and live bullets would be used to attack police,” he said, adding that officers were looking into whether the haul was linked to the plot.
Police launched an investigation into the case after intelligence indicated gun parts were bought from overseas websites and airmailed into the city.
After an investigation, officers swooped into action and raided a village house off Shek Po Road in Yuen Long at about 9.30am on Tuesday.
Inside the house, officers seized a 9mm-calibre handgun, 390 rounds of ammunition, some gun parts and a retractable baton. During the operation, police arrested the 38-year-old man and his parents aged 62 and 65.
“Initial examination shows the handgun can work properly,” Chou said.
He said officers were investigating the origin of the firearm and ammunition, and their intended use.
As of noon on Wednesday, the man, a sales professional, was being held for questioning and had not been charged.
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His parents have been released on bail pending further investigation.
Chou said initial investigation showed the gun parts and ammunition were bought online from overseas, mainly from the US.
Citing previous cases in which gun parts were bought from overseas websites and airmailed into the city to avoid detection before they were assembled in Hong Kong, Chou said the force would enhance cooperation with local and overseas law enforcement agencies to stop such illegal activities.
Following the seizures, Hong Kong customs planned to buy 3D scanners and bring in sniffer dogs to tackle the smuggling of firearms, ammunition and explosives.
In Hong Kong, the possession of firearms or ammunition without a permit carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in jail.
The city has also recorded an increasing number of bomb cases amid the social unrest.
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Chou said that police handled 14 bomb cases since October last year, while also seizing powerful explosive TATP (triacetone triperoxide).
In one case, two remote-controlled bombs connected to mobile phones and each packed with 5kg of high-grade explosives and nails were found hidden inside two black rubbish bags under a building at Wah Yan College Hong Kong in Wan Chai in December.
In early March, authorities seized more than two tonnes of explosives and chemicals, arresting 17 people accused of plotting attacks on police officers.
In January, a palm-sized device was discovered in a rubbish bin at the Shenzhen Bay Control Point, just 12 hours after a public toilet in West Kowloon was set ablaze by a suspected home-made bomb. A bomb was also found in a toilet at Caritas Medical Centre in Cheung Sha Wan the same month.
