Hong Kong police say they were attacked by explosive device
Hong Kong police say a homemade remote-controlled explosive device intended to "kill or to harm" police officers was detonated during violent protests across the territory on Sunday.
No casualties were reported. But Chin-chiu Suryanto, an officer with the police force's bomb-disposal unit, told a news conference Monday that the device was concocted with a "highly effective" explosive.
Speaking through a translator, he said there was "a loud thud" from the detonation Sunday night on a usually busy thoroughfare in Kowloon.
Paper origami cranes are displayed during a sit-in outside police headquarters in Hong Kong Monday, Oct. 14, 2019. The protests that started in June over a now-shelved extradition bill have since snowballed into an anti-China campaign amid anger over what many view as Beijing's interference in Hong Kong's autonomy that was granted when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. (AP PhotoVincent Yu)
He said the use of an explosive device marked an escalation in violence seen during the anti-government protests, which are in their fifth month. He likened the use of such a device to "terrorist events" seen elsewhere in the world.
Paper origami cranes are displayed during a sit-in outside police headquarters in Hong Kong Monday, Oct. 14, 2019. The protests that started in June over a now-shelved extradition bill have since snowballed into an anti-China campaign amid anger over what many view as Beijing's interference in Hong Kong's autonomy that was granted when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. (AP PhotoVincent Yu)
A protester takes a rest during a sit-in outside police headquarters in Hong Kong Monday, Oct. 14, 2019. The protests that started in June over a now-shelved extradition bill have since snowballed into an anti-China campaign amid anger over what many view as Beijing's interference in Hong Kong's autonomy that was granted when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. (AP PhotoVincent Yu)