Hong Kong protests: ex-salesman who attempted boat escape to Taiwan pleads guilty to possessing 22 incomplete petrol bombs
- District Court convicts Tang Kai-yin of possessing articles with intent to damage property, after mainland China authorities caught him during escape bid to Taiwan in 2020
- Tang, 34, worked alongside more than 10 accomplices to produce Molotov cocktails at an Airbnb flat ahead of rally in 2019, prosecution says
The District Court convicted Tang Kai-yin on Monday after he admitted to a count of possessing articles with intent to damage or destroy property. Prosecutors agreed not to pursue a more serious charge of conspiracy to commit arson after the 34-year-old made a plea bargain.
A Shenzhen court earlier sentenced him to three years in jail for his role in organising the illegal border crossing. He was handed over to Hong Kong police last summer.
Judge Ernest Michael Lin Kam-hung on Monday adjourned sentencing until Friday and extended the defendant’s remand in custody.
Lin will also hear a separate case on Wednesday, in which Tang is accused of perverting the course of justice by organising the escape attempt.
A prosecution summary of the firebomb case showed Tang had an agreement with more than 10 accomplices to produce “wine” and “fire magic” – both euphemisms for Molotov cocktails – in an Airbnb flat in Wan Chai they called a “safe house” before demonstrations on October 1, 2019.
The rest of the group, including the accomplice who rented the flat, remain at large.
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“They were actively involved in discussions on issues such as planning, division of labour, purchase of resources and execution, etc,” prosecutor Andy Lo Tin-wai said.
He said Tang had provided instructions for buying raw ingredients and liaised with others as to who would be responsible for launching the incendiary projectiles at police when protests broke out.
The court heard that the syndicate had a “field test” on September 24 that year before preparing to make petrol bombs on September 30 for use the next day.
Tang and Cheng Chun were intercepted outside Kam Lok Mansion on Lockhart Road just as they were returning to their hideout on the night of September 30.
Police broke into the flat and found Cheng Tsz-ho in one bedroom, with Li and Liu trying to escape via the window of an adjacent room. All three were later arrested.
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Officers found 22 semi-finished petrol bombs, many of which were inserted with pins, during the raid.
Police also seized other items and ingredients that included 4.07 litres (1.08 gallons) of petrol, 1.1 litres of organic solvents, 14 lighters, as well as magnesium, aluminium and iron oxide powders.
A government chemist told the court that the defendants could produce 16 petrol bombs with the material found in the flat.
Tang faces up to seven years in prison.
