HONG KONG - The Inter-departmental Counter Terrorism Unit (ICTU) conducted a large-scale counterterrorism exercise, codenamed "Bravelight", on Thursday at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, aiming to enhance coordination among the ICTU and its member departments in counterterrorism intelligence and response, and raise public awareness about counterterrorism efforts.

This marks the ICTU’s first major inter-departmental exercise since Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced the “Three-tier Prevention Framework” in last year's Policy Address to nip in the bud any attempt to sow terror in the territory.

The framework comprises three levels: the Chief Executive Counter-terrorism Steering Group (CESG) at the first tier (top tier), the Secretary for Security Counter-terrorism Co-ordinating Group at the second tier, and seven inter-departmental working groups at the third tier.

On Aug 13, Lee chaired the first meeting of the CESG and directed relevant bureaus and departments to conduct a large-scale exercise, simulating responses to terrorist attacks on critical infrastructure in Hong Kong, and enhancing government preparedness and response capabilities. 

China Daily's Adam Lam took the photos on Thursday.