A Hong Kong hawker has been arrested for allegedly inciting a suicidal man on social media to kill government officials and judicial officers when he took his own life.

The 64-year-old man was arrested in Sheung Shui on Monday on suspicion of inciting others to cause bodily harm and officers seized two mobile phones during the operation, police said on Tuesday.

In a message responding to the suicidal man’s post on Facebook, the hawker suggested his death would be more honourable if he could make government and judicial personnel “perish together” with him, according to police.

The suspect was being detained for questioning and no charges had been laid as of Tuesday afternoon.

Chief Inspector Cheng Chak-yan of the cyber security and technology crime bureau said the investigation was ongoing and additional arrests were possible.

The case came to light after police were alerted to the online post in which a man expressed thoughts about killing himself although the force, working with other government departments, managed to track him down.

“The subject was kept safe and the Social Welfare Department is following up on the case. The person was not in any danger,” the chief inspector said.

Officers discovered posts made in response to the suicidal man’s message “publicly supporting the subject to commit suicide, and instigating him to kill government officials, as well as judicial officers”, Cheng said.

The messages did not mention specific individuals nor did they contain suggestions on how the attacks should be done, he added.

“We are not simply focusing on a particular post, but will view the whole context of the Facebook account or Facebook page, to collect evidence to establish the requisite intention to constitute the incitement offence,” he said.

Cheng would not comment on whether the messages were meant to be jokes, but condemned such an act as “selfish”.