Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Friday, Mar 29, 2024

Hong Kong fugitives admit possessing petrol, other chemicals for making bombs

Hong Kong fugitives admit possessing petrol, other chemicals for making bombs

Former MTR trainee Cheng Tsz-ho, student Liu Tsz-man and two others plead guilty to possessing articles with intent to destroy or damage property.

Two fugitives caught by the mainland Chinese coastguard in a thwarted attempt to flee to Taiwan have admitted in a Hong Kong court to possessing four litres of petrol and other chemicals for producing Molotov cocktails and thermite bombs ahead of anti-government protests on National Day three years ago.

Former MTR Corporation trainee Cheng Tsz-ho and student Liu Tsz-man were among five men charged in relation to the semi-finished weapons seized from a Wan Chai tenement flat in a police operation on September 30, 2019.

The pair were among 12 Hongkongers who boarded a Taiwan-bound speedboat on August 23, 2020, with a view to fleeing criminal proceedings. A Shenzhen court jailed Cheng for seven months for illegally crossing the border after a closed-door trial. Cheng was handed over to Hong Kong police in March last year after he completed the sentence on the mainland.

Salesman Tang Kai-yin, one of the organisers of the illegal trip, is among the five defendants linked to the haul in the Wan Chai flat. He is still serving a three-year jail term in a Shenzhen prison.

The five, aged 17 to 31 at the time of the offence, initially faced a joint count of possessing offensive weapons, which carries a maximum jail sentence of three years. Prosecutors later upgraded the charge to one of conspiracy to endanger life by fire with intent, which is punishable by life imprisonment.

Cheng and Liu, together with fashion designer Cheng Chun and cook Li Wai-lung, pleaded guilty before the District Court on Wednesday to a lesser count of possessing articles with intent to destroy or damage property. The offence is punishable by 10 years’ imprisonment, but capped at seven years when the case is heard before a district judge.

On-fiat prosecutor Mark Wei Ho-tong said police intercepted Cheng Chun and Tang outside the flat in Kam Lok Mansion on Lockhart Road at 10.30pm on September 30, 2019, before they raided the premises with a search warrant.

Cheng Tsz-ho was found inside one of the bedrooms, whereas the remaining two suspects were arrested after trying to escape via a window.

Officers found in the flat raw ingredients for producing petrol bombs, including 22 glass bottles, 4.07 litres of petrol, 11 white towels and 14 lighters.

They also found chemicals linked to the preparation of thermite bombs, including powdered aluminium, magnesium and iron oxide. An unlicensed walkie-talkie, goggles and gas masks were also seized.

Cheng Chun admitted under caution Tang had intended to produce bombs inside the flat. He said he was there to watch the production process “out of curiosity”.


Forensic analyses on Cheng Chun and Li’s smartphones revealed the two had studied the composition of petrol bombs on the internet.

Police also found Telegram exchanges between Cheng Chun, Li and Tang about plans to use the incendiary devices against police during demonstrations on the coming October 1.

A government forensic scientist said the chemicals found in the flat were enough to produce 16 petrol bombs.

Judge Douglas Yau Tak-hong will hear mitigation on May 24 before passing sentence.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
'I am not your servant': IndiGo crew member, passenger get into row over airline meal
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
BMW driver…
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
×