Yuen Long knife attackers arrested in Thailand: Thai media

Two men involved in a fatal knife attack in Yuen Long that killed one were arrested in Thailand on Wednesday, with police heading to extradite the duo on Thursday afternoon, according to Thai media reports.

Sources said on Thursday night that the police have arrested four suspects in total in relation to the incident. 

The incident occurred early Wednesday morning near the Hi Yip Factory Building on Hi Yip Street, where a 24-year-old man surnamed Chan and his friend were ambushed by a group of seven to eight individuals. Chan succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at Pok Oi Hospital after failed resuscitation attempts.

The second victim, a 28-year-old surnamed Cheng, sustained injuries to his arms and back but was conscious when taken to Tuen Mun Hospital.

Following the attack, it was reported that two suspects had fled to Thailand. They were apprehended yesterday (Jan 22) at Suvarnabhumi Airport at 6 pm local time. The local immigration authorities, alerted by Interpol, denied them entry and detained them.

The suspects, identified in media photos as being of Chinese and South Asian descent, are currently under investigation to determine their roles in the incident.

The media also reported that the Hong Kong police have dispatched officers to Bangkok to extradite the suspects. The officers left for Bangkok at 1 pm local time today.

During a press briefing on Wednesday night, Crime New Territories North Headquarters senior superintendent Basil Tang Yick-kay said, the 24-year-old victim sustained multiple wounds on his body, but the exact cause of death was still pending an autopsy.

Officers noticed two of the suspects, aged 20 and 21, had fled to Bangkok on Tuesday, and immediately alerted the Thai authorities.

They were rejected from entering the country and were arrested at the Hong Kong International Airport at 7.30 pm on Thursday.

Police also arrested a 27-year-old local man in Tuen Mun on Wednesday for murder and intent to wound and seized 276 “space oil” e-cigarette capsules from his home.

The suspects belong to a triad gang that is active in west New Territories and believed the incident involved relationship disputes. They were all detained as of Thursday night.

The New Territories North Headquarters Regional Crime Unit is leading the ongoing investigation into the attack, and the police are urging anyone with information or who witnessed the incident to come forward and contact the investigators at 3661 3356.

(Eunice Lam)