Police have arrested 13 people so far in connection with a recent extradition bill protest that saw protesters storm into the city’s Legislative Council and occupy it for hours, vandalizing the legislative chamber and causing extensive damage to the building’s exterior.
Ming Pao reports that 12 of the suspects — 11 men and one woman, aged 14 to 36 — were arrested on suspicion of committing crimes including unlawful assembly, assaulting a police officer, obstructing a police officer, possessing offensive weapons, contravening the Air Navigation (Hong Kong) Order 1995, and failing to carry ID.
In addition to the 12, police also arrested a 31-year-old man, surnamed Poon, who is suspected of storming LegCo on Monday and taking part in a protest at the police headquarters in Wan Chai on June 21.
Poon, who was arrested by anti-triad officers in Mong Kok on Wednesday, is accused of forcibly entering LegCo, misconduct in public, and criminal damage.
Police published a statement on Wednesday night saying they will “resolutely pursue the protesters for their illegal and violent acts” that took place on Monday.
The statement adds: “The Organized Crime and Triad Bureau is now actively investigating and collecting evidence relating to the incident in order to bring the offenders to justice.”
Yesterday afternoon, police laid out all the evidence they had collected from the legislature — described by president Andrew Leung as a “big crime scene” — including bricks, hard hats, shields made of cardboard and cling wrap, and tents.
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Ming Pao also reported that on Wednesday, police also arrested six people — five men and one woman, aged 20 to 72 — in connection to a June 30 pro-police rally. That gathering featured scuffles and shouting matches between pro-police and anti-extradition demonstrators, as well as between pro-police protesters and journalists.
The six suspects were arrested for alleged possession of offensive weapons, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault, and fighting in a public place.
The most recent arrests come after the police force’s Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau announced yesterday that eight people had been arrested for allegedly publishing the private details of police officers working on the front lines of anti-extradition bill protests.
