Hong Kong bomb plot sniper wanted to ‘maximise the killing’ of police officers, court hears
- Plot mastermind Wong Chun-keung tells court how his ‘Dragon Slayer’ team members and second squad would have carried out attack in Wan Chai in December 2019
- Sniper would have opened fire on police so protesters could collect service weapons from dead officers and have same level of power as force, court hears
A sniper involved in a thwarted bomb plot targeting Hong Kong police during the 2019 social unrest wanted to “maximise the killing” of officers so protesters could collect their service weapons and, once armed, have the same level of power as the force, one of its ringleaders has said.
On his second day taking the witness stand, plan mastermind Wong Chun-keung told the High Court on Tuesday about the division of roles among his team of roughly 10 “valiant” men, also known as “Dragon Slayer”, and a second squad run by Ng Chi-hung.
Under the plan, Wong said his team would start a fire to lure police to Hennessy Road in Wan Chai on December 8 of that year, while Ng’s side would be responsible for shooting at officers and detonating two bombs, the court heard.
Wong said he initially wanted to bring the attack ahead by a week, but the sniper on Ng’s team preferred to stick with the original plan, which he saw as a way to distribute guns to protesters and ensure they had the same strength as police.
“As the sniper pulled the trigger of the rifle, he was hoping to maximise the killing of police, so that when officers were dead or injured, [protesters] could collect their guns,” he said. “The sniper predicted that the world would then become ‘weapon free’.”
Wong said the sniper believed his act would have a copycat effect, and protesters would be encouraged to use firearms once a precedent had been set.
