Story By: John Feng, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report
Video Credit: AsiaWire
This is the moment a suspected arsonist outside Hong Kong’s police HQ hurls a petrol bomb at a police van before speeding away in a sleek black Mercedes.
The pre-dawn attack happened just before 3:30am local time today (7th June) and was captured on dashcam footage at the junction of Arsenal Street and Lockhart Road.
The video shows the suspect – dressed all in black – holding the flaming petrol bomb in his hand and throwing it at the Emergency Unit van outside the Hong Kong Police Headquarters in Wan Chai district.
Pictures Credit: AsiaWire & AsiaWire/HK01
The Molotov cocktail explodes on the ground next to the vehicle, charring the van as it manoeuvres away, with the suspect then speeding away in a black Mercedes-Benz.
The police van had been patrolling the area and is thought to have thwarted what may have been a direct attack on the Wan Chai headquarters when it stopped in front of the suspect and turned on its lights.
The suspect can also be seen turning his back when a taxi appears at the crossroads, with the driver likely to have then become a witness to the crime.
Superintendent Law Kowk-hoi, with the Hong Kong Island Regional Crime Unit, said in a media briefing: “There is as yet no evidence to suggest the police van was the intended targeted.
“The man threw the petrol bomb when the van appeared and intercepted him.
“The officers didn’t pursue the suspect because it was unclear whether there were any other explosives in the vicinity at the time.
“We are still trying to determine whether the suspect had any accomplices.”
Officers with the island’s Police Tactical Unit and Explosive Ordnance Disposal are continuing to investigate the crime scene, while the search for the suspect – and the Mercedes-Benz which had its plates concealed – goes on.
The arson attack is thought to have been intended as a message to Hong Kong’s 30,000 law enforcement officers ahead of a planned anti-government rally on 9th June.
Hong Kong police say they are on high alert.
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