Hong Kong police arrest 5 over national security after raiding 2 bookstores
Have a Nice Stay bookshop in Prince Edward and Greenfield Book Store in Mong Kok targeted by national security police
Hong Kong police have arrested five people and seized books during a raid on two independent bookshops, the South China Morning Post has learned.
A source told the SCMP that national security police searched Have a Nice Stay bookshop in Prince Edward and Greenfield Book Store in Mong Kok on Wednesday.
Officers seized books and made multiple arrests during the operation.
A force spokesman said the Customs and Excise Department had referred a case of an overseas shipment containing books deemed seditious to the national security department.
Upon investigation, national security police had arrested three women aged between 30 and 59 and two men aged 37 and 57 on suspicion of doing an act with seditious intent.
“Police investigation showed that the five arrestees had allegedly displayed seditious items within the stores, and sold seditious publications, including content that incited hatred against the Hong Kong government, the judiciary and law enforcement agencies,” the spokesman said.