China: Police in Hong Kong arrest nine suspects July 6 for alleged bombing plot

Event

Authorities in Hong Kong arrested nine people, including six students, July 6 for allegedly plotting bombings in the territory. According to officials, the pro-independence group Returning Vigilant was behind the plot, purportedly targeting "cross-harbor tunnels, railways, and courtrooms," with triacetone triperoxide (TATP). Police reportedly discovered raw chemical materials and tools at a guest house in Tsim Sha Tsui, which the accused used as a lab. Although police claim that group members had scouted locations and the plot had entered a practical phase of planning, it remains unclear how prepared they were to carry out an attack.

Context

Police detained the suspects under the Beijing-mandated National Security Law, likely bolstering arguments for its necessity in the territory. Police have occasionally recovered equipment or rudimentary explosive devices in Hong Kong, and several minor explosions occurred during pro-democracy unrest in 2019. However, the latest plot is the most significant activity uncovered in Hong Kong, and authorities are likely to intensify surveillance in the coming weeks. It is unclear if officials will carry out additional arrests; however, the existence of similar groups and plots cannot be ruled out in the territory. The arrests also come days after an alleged lone-wolf actor stabbed a police officer and himself July 1, raising concerns of growing radicalism in the territory amid a persistent crackdown on the political opposition and increasing limitations on rights in Hong Kong.