Police cordoned off a section of Kowloon Tong near the Hong Kong Baptist University campus this morning after a suspicious package marked “explosive” was discovered on the street.
The suspected bomb was found on a traffic island near the junction of Cornwall Street and Kent Road today at 10am, Police Superintendent Tsang Chiu-tong told reporters.
A pedestrian discovered the object, which comprised six red-cylindrical tubes bound by two black plastic strings, unattended on the traffic island and immediately reported it to the police.
Tsang said the words “HIGH EXPLOSION” were written on the object. Photos from the scene show that the tubes were marked “TNT” (short for “Trinitrotoluene”, an explosive chemical compound) and “USA”.
Police sent a bomb disposal robot to detonate the object at 12pm. However, officers found that the “bomb” didn’t contain any explosives. Normal traffic was resumed at 1pm.
An investigation by the Kowloon West regional crime unit is underway.
Last month, a fake bomb left at the popular Harbour City shopping center in Tsim Sha Tsui led to 600 people being evacuated. The bomb, which was revealed to be a novelty alarm clock, was planted by an 18-year-old woman later deemed to be mentally incapacitated. At the time, a police representative said in a press conference that “a bomb hoax is a very serious offense […] which carries a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment and a HKD150,000 fine [upon conviction].”
