Leader of Hong Kong protest bomb plot sentenced to almost 24 years in jail

In Hong Kong, a man named Ng Chi-hung was sentenced to 23 years and 10 months in prison for being the mastermind of a plot to attack police during the city’s 2019 pro-democracy protests. Another defendant, Wong Chun-keung, was sentenced to 13 years and six months for his involvement in the same plot. Five others received sentences ranging from 5 years and 10 months to 12 years for various offenses related to possessing firearms and abetting the manufacture of explosives. This marks the first time the U.N. anti-terrorism ordinance has been used in Hong Kong since 2002. The judge described the plot as premeditated and vicious, targeting police officers as a “declaration of war on society.” Hong Kong police expressed satisfaction with the sentences, believing they would act as a deterrent. The defendants were accused of planning to plant bombs during a protest march in December 2019, but arrests were made preventing the plan from being carried out. One defendant who pleaded not guilty was convicted and sentenced to 10 years and 10 months in prison. The ruling comes shortly before 45 leading democrats face sentencing in a separate national security case for an alleged subversive plot from 2020.

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