A man stabbed a police officer outside Sogo department store in Causeway Bay Thursday night before turning the knife on himself.
The 50-year-old died in hospital about an hour later.
According to a government statement, the man attacked a male police officer from behind with a knife on Hennessy Road at 10:05 pm, and then stabbed himself in the chest. Officers withdrew their pistols and subdued the man, who was sustaining serious injuries.
Photos posted online showed the 28-year-old police officer lying on the pavement with pools of blood around him, and the man clutching his blood-stained chest.
The man was rushed to Ruttonjee Hospital in an unconscious state. He was certified dead at 11:20 pm.
The police officer, who was conscious, was admitted to the intensive care unit at Queen Mary Hospital for urgent surgery. According to the South China Morning Post, air and blood had entered his chest cavity, and a scan showed his heart had shifted.
In a statement on Facebook, police said it “strongly condemn[s] such violent act[s] that gravely endanger others and will definitely bring lawbreakers to justice.”
The city marked its 24th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China Thursday. Police cordoned off Victoria Park—the starting point of annual democracy marches on the date—after banning demonstrations due to COVID-19.
At least 19 people were arrested on suspected charges including “distributing seditious publications” and “possession of offensive weapon” in Causeway Bay, Tin Hau, Mong Kok and Wong Tai Sin, according to police.
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On online forum LIHKG, netizens hailed the man as a “martyr” and called on Hongkongers to leave white flowers outside Sogo to mourn his death.
Security Secretary Chris Tang said in a late-night press conference that initial investigation suggests the attack is a “lone wolf domestic terrorist act.” Besides the perpetrator himself, Tang said, those who incite and glorify violence are also to blame.
