Hong Kong - Hong Kong police arrested four men after a raid
that uncovered explosives and a pipe bomb, government-backed
broadcaster RTHK reported on Wednesday.
Police found what they called "protest-related materials" in a raid
on Tuesday evening at a flat in Mong Kok, a densely populated
residential area known for its outdoor markets and shopping areas.
Police also searched a house in Sheung Shui, a town close to Hong
Kong's border with mainland China, which they suspect was being used
a laboratory for producing explosives, according to RTHK.
The pipe bomb said to contain around 40 grams of explosives was
detonated by bomb disposal experts, which caused some damage to the
building.
Police senior superintendent Chan Tin-chu said the bomb was "very
powerful" and that a small explosion occurred while it was being
defused.
"The shrapnel punched a hole in one of the lifts in the building,"
Chan Tin-chu told RTHK.
Police say that the bomb could have caused significant casualties.
Hong Kong has been plagued by protests for months, after a backlash
against a now-defunct extradition bill, which critics say would allow
the Communist Party in mainland China to single out dissidents.
They have included violent clashes between protesters and police.
Hong Kong was promised special rights and privileges under the "one
country, two systems" framework that was put in place when the
British handed the region back to China in 1997 after 150 years of
colonial rule.