A Hong Kong protester was plucked from his Cathay Pacific flight to London and arrested on suspicion of stabbing a police officer
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Bill Bostock
Jul 2, 2020, 19:04 IST
Police officers check the belongings of demonstrators in Hong Kong on July 1, 2020.Kyodo News via Getty Images
An anti-China protester in Hong Kong was pulled from a flight to London on Thursday and arrested on suspicion of stabbing a police officer the day before.
Hong Kong Police said an officer was stabbed during Wednesday protests against China's new national-security law, and that the suspect — identified only as a 24-year-old man named Wong — fled the scene.
Riot police stormed a Cathay Pacific aircraft just before midnight on Wednesday and took the suspect into custody, according to multipile reports.
An anti-China protester was removed from a flight out of Hong Kong early Thursday morning and arrested on suspicion of stabbing a police officer the day before.
The man had been on a midnight Cathay Pacific Flight CX251 from Hong Kong International Airport to London. He has been identified as a 24-year-old man with the last name Wong, The Associated Press (AP) reported.
"During the early hours of July 2, a 24-year old man surnamed Wong was arrested at the airport on the suspicion of wounding," Hong Kong police said, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
It is not clear whether the man was arrested on suspicion of violating national security law.
Hong Kong police tweeted an image showing the bloodied arm of a person wearing Hong Kong police uniform on Wednesday.
The tweet added that an officer was "stabbed in the arm by rioters holding sharp objects when he was taking arrest action," that bystanders offered no help, and that the suspect immediately fled the scene.
Wong was arrested on the Cathay Pacific flight after police received an anonymous tip-off about his plans, the AP reported, citing police.
Leung Chun-ying, the city's former leader, had offered a bounty of 500,000 Hong Kong dollars ($65,000) for the man's capture, according to Reuters.
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That the man was trying to fly to London is significant.
Shortly before midnight on Wednesday, ten riot police officers boarded the Cathay Pacific aircraft to locate the man, a witness told Reuters. The plane had been preparing to take off at the time.
It has since continued with the flight, and the plane arrived in London on Thursday morning, according to FlightRadar24.
According to the local Cable TV news, cited by Reuters, the man was in possession of an expired "British National Overseas passport." That document is a way for Hong Kongers to get expedited British citizenship.
A police source told AFP: "He bought a ticket last minute. He was the only passenger on the flight to have purchased a ticket so late and had no check-in baggage with him."
The AP reported, citing police, that the suspect did not respond to the crew when they called him by name, and was not in his designated seat. Police later found him after conducting a sweep of the plane, the AP reported.
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Cathay Pacific declined to provide further information about the arrest, telling Business Insider: "The incident is being handled by the Police."
Hong Kong International Airport did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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