Jackie Chan off the hook for now on 'guns and grenades' claim

Police have talked to Jackie Chan about his claimed use of "guns and grenades" to fend off gangsters, and have found no evidence so far that the movie star committed a crime in Hong Kong, police said yesterday.

Detectives from the Hong Kong Island crime unit met Chan at his office last week to discuss controversial remarks he made in an interview with Southern People Weekly magazine last month, a police department source said.

Chan reportedly told the detectives that his confrontation with triad members happened outside Hong Kong.

A police spokeswoman confirmed yesterday that the force had contacted Chan about his "guns and grenades" remarks.

"So far, there is no evidence to suggest that a crime was committed in Hong Kong," she said.

Officers are still investigating the case.

The star of the Rush Hour film series and other movies touched off a storm of controversy in the interview, when he said he and other actors used to be bullied by triad members who threatened them with guns to extort money.

He hid in the United States after being threatened, he said. When he returned to Hong Kong he confronted the gangsters with "two guns and six grenades".

The possession of firearms in Hong Kong without a licence can result in up to 14 years in jail.

After attending a charity event yesterday in which he and The Outdoor Shop donated 500 winter coats to the Salvation Army, Chan was asked if he knew the police were trying to contact him, and whether they had already done so.

His reply was brief: "Are they? I don't know."

In the magazine interview Chan made other controversial remarks, such as: "Hong Kong has become a city of protest"; and "the authorities should stipulate what issues people can protest over and on what issues it is not allowed".

Yesterday Chan appeared reluctant to clarify these comments, saying he would need a "10-hour interview" to explain everything.

When pressed on whether the government should have stopped anti-government and pro-government protesters from taking to the streets on Tuesday, he responded by asking a Post journalist for his opinion.

The journalist answered that Hongkongers should enjoy freedom of speech, and Chan replied: "Yes. That's correct."

Meanwhile, a leader of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown, Wang Dan, said on Facebook earlier that people should boycott Chan's latest film, CZ12, to punish the movie star for his "autocratic" remarks. Chan responded yesterday by saying: "Everyone enjoys freedom of speech. You can disagree with my view and I respect people's views … people can choose to watch my movie or not watch it."