Hong Kong protests: police start probe as author of online article claims responsibility for stabbing off-duty officer at Kwai Fong rail station on August 30
- Author of article, who identifies himself as Victor, claims responsibility for stabbing officer at Kwai Fong MTR station on August 30
- Police launch probe, while some people cast doubts on the claims as the writer’s identity is yet to be established
Police said they were investigating a manifesto circulated online in which the author claimed to have stabbed an off-duty officer at Kwai Fong MTR station on the night of August 30.
The 9,000-word article is written in Chinese by the leader of a self-proclaimed Hong Kong revolutionary group, which advocates the use of force to overthrow the government.
“Ambushing and stabbing off-duty police on the night of August 30 was done by the admin of your group, Victor. We are here to claim the responsibility,” the author, who called himself Victor, wrote.
He claimed to be an administrator of a Telegram group of protesters and a member of another group of anti-government protesters.
“Our group members have been hard-core protesters since 2014,” he wrote, saying the group had been waiting for people to escalate violence in the first two months of the anti-extradition bill protests. He said no one took the lead, “So we decided to do it ourselves in early August.”
A police spokesman said the case was being investigated by the Regional Crime Unit of New Territories South.
“No arrest has been made so far,” he said. “The cyberworld is not a space beyond the law. Most of Hong Kong’s ordinances also apply for the cyberworld. Anyone who commits an unlawful act, even if in the cyberworld, is liable for criminal prosecution.”
Some internet users, however, questioned the authenticity of the article and even called it fake, since there was no evidence to support the claim nor could its writer’s identity be confirmed.
Police stop regular foot patrols due to staff crunch and risk of being attacked
On the night of August 30, three masked men — one of them armed with a knife — attacked an off-duty police officer at Kwai Fong MTR station, leaving him with four wounds to his back, right shoulder and arms. Two of the three were dressed in black, the other in grey.
Commissioner of Police Stephen Lo Wai-chung condemned the attack as “despicable” after visiting the injured officer.
The article described the attack as “unsuccessful” because the group wanted to kill a police officer. “We planned to kill, but it was just knife injuries,” the article read.
It also spoke of the group members’ plan of going overseas to get funding and recruit people. The group also plans to start camps to train more Hong Kong people for revolution, it read.
