National security police charge two over 2019 protest weapons plot, release four on bail

Five years after the 2019 anti-extradition protests, Hong Kong’s National Security Department has charged two men with inciting and conspiring to incite riots for allegedly arming demonstrators, while a separate raid uncovered bows, arrows, and samurai swords, leading to another arrest.

On October 28, officers detained three women and two men aged 32 to 60, accusing them of making and supplying weapons to protesters during the unrest.

The next day, a raid on a Kowloon flat yielded three compound bows with a dozen arrows and two katanas; a 46-year-old local man was arrested for possessing offensive weapons with intent.

Today, police announced that one man and the three women arrested earlier have been released on bail and must report back in late November.

The two charged suspects—a 32-year-old facing counts of incitement to riot and conspiracy to incite riot, and a 34-year-old accused of conspiracy—appeared at West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on October 30.