A Hong Kong jury on Thursday found one person guilty and acquitted six others in what authorities said was a plot to carry out a bombing to murder police officers in 2019.
The alleged bomb plot occurred when Hong Kong was undergoing massive and at times violent pro-democracy protests that year, which have since been quashed by police.
The seven defendants were part of two radical groups, including one called “Dragon Slayers,” that prosecutors said planned a bomb attack for a rally marking International Human Rights Day.
They were charged under the anti-terrorism act for conspiring to place two bombs along the rally’s marching route on Dec. 10, 2019. This was the first time the law was invoked since its 2002 enactment.
According to Hong Kong local media, six defendants were found not guilty on Thursday.
But defendant Lai Chun-pong, who was 29 when he was arrested, was found guilty of “conspiracy to cause an explosion likely to endanger life or to cause serious injury to property.”
The offense carries a maximum jail term of 20 years.
During a trial that lasted nearly 80 days, prosecutors said police found two improvised explosive devices near a secondary school — alleged evidence of the planned bombing, which did not proceed.
Police also seized four guns, including an AR-15 rifle, as well as hundreds of bullets at the homes of three defendants, the court heard.
Seven others have previously pleaded guilty, with alleged group leader Wong Chun-keung and members Eddie Pang and David Su testifying as prosecution witnesses.
Hong Kong authorities have deployed an extensive legal arsenal to charge thousands of people over their involvement in 2019’s democracy protests.
The anti-terrorism law used to charge the defendants was enacted in 2002 and is separate from the national security laws implemented in the wake of the 2019 protests.
