HK strengthens anti-terror precautions

Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying expressed his condolences to the victims and their families following the bomb blast in Manchester late on Monday. He vowed on Tuesday that the city’s police force and other relevant government departments would stay on high alert to protect Hong Kong people’s lives and property.

He hoped people in the city would cooperate with the government in this effort.

Asia-World-Expo, one of the city’s major sports and entertainment venues, announced on Tuesday it would raise security checks one level before concerts at the venue. Audiences must go through metal detectors and have their bags checked, a spokesperson for the venue said.

Management will consider deploying sniffer dogs to detect any suspicious items and use location-tracking wristbands to step up security, the spokesperson said.

On Sept 21, the venue will hold a concert by US pop star Ariana Grande, whose performance in Manchester was the target of Monday’s attack.

Earlier this month Hong Kong police received intelligence that extremists inspired by the Islamic State terrorist group might have sneaked into the SAR for a lone-wolf style attack in the city.

However, currently the Hong Kong government maintains the city’s terrorism threat level at “moderate” as there was no specific intelligence indicating an imminent attack or Hong Kong being targeted, according to the police.