National security law: Hong Kong student accused of weapons possession charged with secession offence
- Lui Sai-yu, 24, is charged on Thursday with inciting others to commit secession, on top of existing allegations of possessing a firearm and offensive weapons
- First-year PolyU student does not seek bail and case is adjourned to next month
A Hong Kong student accused of possessing a firearm without a licence was charged on Thursday with an additional offence under the national security law.
Lui Sai-yu, a 24-year-old engineering student at Polytechnic University, appeared at West Kowloon Court over allegations he had been in possession of a pepper ball launcher, extendable baton and two knives for unlawful purposes.
He was further accused on Thursday of inciting others to commit secession between June 30 and September 24 last year, an offence under the Beijing-decreed security legislation.
Lui was earlier charged with possession of firearms without a licence, possession of offensive weapons, and importing strategic commodities without a licence.
The prosecution told Chief Magistrate Victor So Wai-tak, one of a handful of jurists selected by Hong Kong’s leader to handle national security cases, that it was dropping the import charge against Lui.
The first-year student was arrested in September last year during a raid on his Fanling flat. He did not apply for bail on Thursday and the case was adjourned until May 4.