Hong Kong unrest: Police arrest 11, seize semi-automatic pistol in raids
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The police mounted an operation on early Sunday morning at 11 locations in various districts of Hong Kong
The Hong Kong police on Sunday morning said that a semi-automatic pistol, 105 bullets and other prohibited weapons were seized.
Senior Superintendent Li Kwai-wah of the Organised Crime and Triad Bureau said it is the first time that a handgun has been seized related to Hong Kong's demonstrations in recent months, and warned organizers and participants of Sunday's demonstration to watch out for personal and public safety.
The police received information suggesting that some members of a radical group, who had participated in an unlawful assembly on October 20 and attacked the Mong Kok police station with a large number of petrol bombs, were planning to use weapons including guns to create chaos and attack the police during Sunday's demonstration, Li said at a media briefing on Sunday.
The police, therefore, mounted an operation on early Sunday morning at 11 locations in various districts of Hong Kong.
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In the Fortress Hill area on the Hong Kong Island, the police seized a 9 mm semi-automatic Glock pistol, which forensic firearm examination shows it is in good condition, and five magazines, three of which were already loaded with bullets.
At that location, the police also seized three daggers and some sabres.
In the Heard Street in Wan Chai, where a suspected assembly point of the radicals is located, the police seized two bulletproof vests.
In Tsuen Wan, the New Territories, the police launched a search operation and found a large number of fireworks believed to be used for attacking police stations. They also seized nine extendable batons and four pepper sprays.
The police arrested eight men and three women aged between 20 and 63 in the operation for offences including the possession of a firearm without a license, dangerous goods, prohibited weapons and unlawful assembly.
Li said the police are investigating where the weapons come from and may make more arrests as the operation is still ongoing.