No sign terrorist attacks planned in HK: Chris Tang

The authorities say there is no specific intelligence suggesting Hong Kong is likely to be the target of terrorists, even though they foiled an alleged bomb plot just last week.

The last terrorist incident in Hong Kong occurred less than a fortnight ago, according to Security Secretary Chris Tang, who says a man who died after stabbing and injuring a police officer was a “lone-wolf terrorist” radicalised by hate.

Several people have also been charged in recent days over an alleged plan to blow up cross-harbour tunnels, railways and courtrooms.

But Tang said on Wednesday that the SAR’s terrorism alert level remains at “moderate”.

“The moderate level means there’s a possibility of an attack, but there’s now no specific intelligence suggesting that Hong Kong’s likely to be a target,” he told lawmakers.

In the event that the alert level is raised, bag searches for rail and bus passengers could become commonplace in the city, Tang said.

Vehicles going to the airport could be searched, as well as luggage belonging to flight passengers.

The security chief said the perpetrators of violent attacks in recent years were influenced by “seditious messages and fake news”.

The man who attacked a policeman in Causeway Bay on July 1 was a prime example of this, he claimed.

Tang told Legco that Home Affairs Secretary Caspar Tsui is studying how to legislate against “fake news”, but the matter is both complicated and contentious.