Two Hong Kong secondary school students arrested over substance suspected to be powerful explosive TATP

Two secondary students in Hong Kong were arrested on Wednesday, following the seizure of what is believed to be a small but powerful amount of explosive substance in a school.

Officers from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bureau and firefighters were called to the Caritas Ma On Shan Secondary School on Kam Ying Road after a report of dangerous goods shortly before 3pm.

The case came to light after an 18-year-old Form Six student showed his teacher some substance in powder form that was wrapped in aluminium foil during lunchtime in school, according to a police source.

At the same time, a 17-year-old Form Four student was also found with a similar item at the school’s playground. The Post was told the younger student claimed the substance was given to him by his senior schoolmate.

Emergency personnel were called in after a chemistry teacher suspected that the powder was a dangerous substance.

“The powder was suspected to be TATP [triacetone triperoxide] after an initial examination. Further wis nheeded,” the source said, adding that police suspected the substance was given to the 18-year-old student by a black-clad man on the streets of Prince Edward in Mong Kok several weeks ago.

The source said TATP was a very dangerous and unstable explosive substance.

By the time officers arrived at the school, most of the students had left, and those remaining were evacuated.

Officers from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit later took the explosive substance to police headquarters in Wan Chai for further examination.

The source said police were still checking their records to determine if the two student suspects had been previously arrested in any protest-related incident since June.

Hong Kong has been rocked by an anti-government movement that was sparked by a now-withdrawn extradition bill, with escalating violence in clashes between protesters and police.

On Wednesday night, the two students were being held for questioning and neither had been charged.

Another source said the incident might be only the tip of the iceberg, appealing to the public not to accept anything from strangers or handle unknown substances.

“This poses risks to the suspects as well as their family members at home or classmates in school,” he said.

The school said in a statement that classes would be suspended on Thursday for a thorough clean-up operation. It added that it informed fire services immediately after the substances were found, and cordoned off the area for professionals to handle the matter.

Students who live in the boarding section of the campus will stay in their dormitories for safety reasons.

In Hong Kong, possession of explosives carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison under the Crimes Ordinance.

During a raid of an industrial unit in Tsuen Wan in July, police arrested three men and seized 2kg of TATP – the largest seizure of its kind since the return of the city to Chinese rule in 1997.

TATP has been used in deadly terrorist attacks around the world, including in Israel and the London bombings of July 7, 2005, in which 52 people were killed and more than 700 injured. A small amount of TATP is powerful enough to blow a car to bits, and handlers are also at risk because of its instability.

Additional reporting by Chan Ho-him