More home-made bombs likely in HK

THE Hong Kong police said yesterday that the discovery of two home-made bombs in Hong Kong’s Wan Chai on Monday might not be a single case, warning that criminals may have stored more firearms and lethal explosives in the community.

The police said in a post on social media that upon further inspection by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bureau yesterday, the two remote-controlled bombs were proved to be fully functional and readily deployable.

The two bombs were found on Monday evening on a slope near the foundation of a building of Wah Yan College, a secondary school in Wan Chai. Bomb disposal officers were deployed and safely defused the bombs on Monday night.

Based on the current findings from intelligence gathering and investigation, the police suspected that the discovery of the two bombs is not a single case, and some criminals are planning to cause casualties in the community with firearms and explosives.

In an operation early on Sunday, the police seized a semi-automatic pistol and over 100 bullets suspected to be used by radicals in a demonstration. It was the first time that a handgun has been seized related to the recent unrest in Hong Kong.

The police said yesterday that the Organized Crime and Triad

Bureau have decided to investigate the two cases as a whole, and are now tracing the source of the ammunition and the concerned criminal group. Apart from a large quantity of ammonium nitrate, the two bombs also contained nails, which would remarkably enhance their lethality.

The bureau estimated that they were capable of causing casualties in a range of up to 50 to 100 meters in the surrounding area.

(Xinhua)