Hong Kong protests: two men convicted of possessing 59 petrol bombs during civil unrest
- University student and construction worker linked to raid that uncovered largest haul of incendiary devices
- Cheng Kam-fai and Wong Kin-ki face potential jail terms of up to 7 years
A university student and a construction worker have been convicted of possessing 59 petrol bombs seized by authorities in the largest such haul during Hong Kong’s civil unrest in 2019.
City University undergraduate Cheng Kam-fai, 22, and construction worker Wong Kin-ki, 21, face potential jail terms of up to seven years, after they were convicted in the District Court on Wednesday of possessing articles with intent to destroy or damage property.
A third defendant, unemployed man Yau Kin-wai, 26, was cleared of the charge after the presiding judge found no evidence he had come into contact with the explosives.
The trio were among a group of four men and a woman arrested on November 2 two years ago, when police raided an Airbnb flat in the Top View Mansion building in Wan Chai on a day marked by chaotic protests across Hong Kong Island.
Officers broke into the flat at 3pm after confirming the five had entered the premises. The suspects jumped off a balcony and fled, but were later found inside the building.
A subsequent search of the flat uncovered 59 petrol bombs, 79 partially made bombs, 50 empty glass bottles, 4.9 litres of petrol, 4.6 litres of diesel, and one litre of isopropyl alcohol, a highly flammable substance.