Police in Hong Kong have arrested nine people on suspicion of “conspiracy to manufacture explosives” just days before lawmakers in the Chinese territory vote on a highly contentious, Beijing-approved proposal for electoral reform.
The police said on Monday that the five men and four women, aged 21-34, had been detained after discovering that two members of the “local syndicate” planned to test explosive material on Sunday night.
They seized several kilogrammes of chemicals, including the precursor for triacetone triperoxide, an explosive substance, and the formula to make smoke grenades, as well as air guns and maps of Wan Chai and Admiralty, two areas in downtown Hong Kong that contain government and corporate offices.