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Published: 00:09, July 03, 2021 | Updated: 09:49, July 03, 2021
HK knife attack spurs calls for vigilance
By Kathy Zhang
Published:00:09, July 03, 2021 Updated:09:49, July 03, 2021 By Kathy Zhang

This photo taken from the official Facebook page of the Hong Kong Police Force shows the police officer who was seriously injured after being attacked with a knife by a 50-year-old man in Wan Chai on July 1, 2021.

HONG KONG - The Hong Kong government on Friday urged the public to be vigilant against future violent attacks after a police officer was stabbed the previous night in what was categorized as a terrorist attack.

The assault happened in Causeway Bay when a 50-year-old man plunged a knife into the back of an on-duty Police Tactical Unit officer, police said. The assailant then stabbed himself in the chest, and was pronounced dead at Ruttonjee Hospital at 11:20 pm on Thursday. 

READ MORE: CE strongly condemns violence, acts undermining public order

The officer, 28, sustained a 10-cm-deep wound and had his lung pierced. He was reportedly in serious condition after surgery at Queen Mary Hospital on Hong Kong Island on Friday morning. 

Police discovered suicide notes and materials with anti-government messages at the assailant’s home. They believe he was radicalized to act by the provocative information

Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung said preliminary investigations showed the assault to be a “lone-wolf terrorist attack”. Police discovered suicide notes and materials with anti-government messages at the assailant’s home. They believe he was radicalized to act by the provocative information. 

Tang condemned the attack, and said that people who glorified violence and incited hatred against the government have their hands “soaked in blood”. 

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor wished the officer a speedy recovery on Friday morning upon returning to Hong Kong from Beijing.

She condemned the attack and pledged full support for the police force to take resolute law enforcement actions against violent and illegal acts.

ALSO READ: National Security Law gives HK bright future

The police on Friday afternoon warned against the threat posed by similar attacks as some netizens called the assailant a “martyr” or “warrior”. The force condemned such behavior as romanticizing the cold-blooded criminal act. “The attack in public was a blatant challenge to the rule of law that destabilized social order,” it said in a social media post. 

The police warned against the threat posed by similar attacks as some netizens called the assailant a “martyr” or “warrior”. The force condemned such behavior as romanticizing the cold-blooded criminal act

The police cited Articles 9 and 10 of the Crimes Ordinance and warned that any person who does or attempts to incite others to violence, or makes any preparation to do so, or conspires with any person to do so, shall be liable to a fine of HK$5,000 ($644) and two years’ imprisonment.

Lau Siu-kai, vice-president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, said the attack shows there are undercurrents of discontent and hatred among some radicals whose political opinions and expectations have been dashed by the National Security Law for Hong Kong and police action against violent and illegal acts.

He said there’s a possibility of similar incidents or larger-scale actions taking place in the near future. In his view, hostile external and internal forces will continue to incite and exploit hate crimes and terrorist attacks in order to create a sense of fear in Hong Kong society with the purpose of destabilizing the special administrative region.

More forceful police action is needed and it should be supported by society, Lau said.

Hong Kong Senior Counsel Ronny Tong Ka-wah called the attack “unacceptable” and “despicable”.

In a law-abiding society, anyone who chooses such unacceptable tactics to target men and women in uniform and commits crimes “should be ashamed of themselves and be put into prison”, regardless of their status and political inclinations, he said.

In separate statements, the Hong Kong Legal Exchange Foundation and the Small and Medium Law Firms Association of Hong Kong voiced “severe condemnation” of the terrorist action and other violent and illegal acts.

The foundation said no one in Hong Kong, which is known for its rule of law, should be excused for committing criminal acts or inciting violence, regardless of the reasons for doing so. 

The two legal groups urged residents to be rational, to stay cautious against insidious plots, and to avoid being incited by radicals.

kathyzhang@chinadailyhk.com

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