Jimmy Lai trial: ‘1,000 Hong Kong police officers to guard West Kowloon Court for next 3 months’

The Hong Kong police force is set to deploy 1,000 officers to maintain round-the-clock security at the West Kowloon Court for the next three months. This heightened security measure is in preparation for the trial of media mogul Jimmy Lai Chee-ying. In addition to the increased police presence, four police vehicles will be stationed at the elevated section of the West Kowloon Corridor, a short distance from the court complex. This decision follows a suspected airgun attack on the court building that resulted in a large shattered window during a subversion trial in February. The police force will be dispatching 300 more officers for this trial compared to the February deployment.

Lai, aged 76, is facing charges of sedition and conspiracy to collude with foreign forces. He is accused of advocating for international sanctions against Hong Kong and central authorities, and inciting public hatred in the aftermath of the anti-government protests in 2019. These protests were triggered by a now-withdrawn extradition bill. Lai, the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily tabloid newspaper, has been in custody for nearly three years. His trial is slated to commence on Monday. The police vehicles will be positioned at the elevated section of the flyover on Sunday night, and some officers began patrolling the court building vicinity on Saturday night.

Police investigations suggest that an airgun pellet fired from a moving vehicle on the West Kowloon Corridor struck the court building in Sham Shui Po and grazed a glass panel in February. In response to this incident, the police installed protective screens on the elevated section of the flyover and offered a reward of HK$150,000 (US$19,225) for information leading to the arrest of anyone involved in the attack. The police force will be deploying about 1,000 plain-clothes and uniformed officers, including personnel from the Counter Terrorism Response Unit and bomb disposal squad, along with sniffer dogs, during Lai’s trial, which is expected to last at least 80 days.