Eight people have been arrested in Hong Kong for possession of offensive weapons and suspected bomb-making materials.
The arrests come amid heightened tensions in the financial hub, where hundreds of thousands of people have rallied since June against a controversial extradition bill. Though the bill has since been shelved, the protests have become increasingly violent and the political crisis shows few signs of abating. More mass protests are planned throughout the weekend.
Andy Chan, the founder of the pro-independence Hong Kong National Party that was outlawed last year, was among those arrested, police confirmed. Chan has previously said his organization is nonviolent. In a statement released through his attorney Friday, Chan said that protesters should"not be afraid of being arrested.""There is only the path forward, there is no turning back," the statement read.
Police said they found 2 kilograms of high explosives, 10 petrol bombs, corrosive liquids, weapons and metal poles in a factory in the city's New Territories. They believe triacetone triperoxide was present at different manufacturing stages. Authorities said Friday that the two incidents do not appear to be connected.
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