Hong Kong police up patrols, arrest woman with box cutter after online calls to ‘mourn’ July 1 attacker one week on from stabbing
- Officers at scene of July 1 crime in Causeway Bay search 26-year-old woman who turned up with flowers, and arrest her after finding box cutter in her bag
- Earlier, Chief Secretary John Lee hit out at liberal commentators for defending people who laid flowers at scene
Police on Wednesday stepped up patrolling in Hong Kong’s busy Causeway Bay shopping area, arresting a young woman with a box cutter in her bag, as they reacted to calls on the internet for people to “mourn” the passage of a week since the death of a man who stabbed an officer in the back before killing himself.
Officers stationed at the scene of the July 1 crime outside the Sogo department store searched the 26-year-old woman who turned up holding white flowers, and arrested her after finding a box cutter in her bag.
Police said in an official Facebook post that they were highly concerned about finding such a weapon in a crowded place, as it could be used to attack officers or members of the public.
“Police are now reviewing and updating the strategies employed in different districts, to specifically stop and search suspicious persons or vehicles, in order to prevent and combat crime,” the post read.
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Assailant dies after stabbing Hong Kong police officer and then himself on busy street
Earlier on Wednesday, Hong Kong’s No 2 official condemned what he called apologists for terrorism as “sinners for 1,000 years”, criticising liberal commentators for defending people who laid flowers at the scene.
