12-year-old Hong Kong boy arrested for attempting to manufacture explosives
A 12-year-old male student in Hong Kong was arrested for 'attempting to manufacture explosives' after posting a video on Instagram claiming to be making bombs and having successfully produced explosives. If convicted, he faces up to 14 years in prison.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 5, 2026 at 21:20
- 🔍 Collected: May 5, 2026 at 21:31 (11 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 5, 2026 at 23:38 (2h 6m after Collected)
Hong Kong police announced today that a 12-year-old male student was arrested yesterday on charges of 'attempting to manufacture explosives' after posting a video on Instagram claiming to be making bombs and having successfully produced explosives. If convicted, he faces up to 14 years in prison.
Hong Kong police held a press conference this afternoon, where Acting Chief Inspector Choi Ting-kwong of the Kowloon East Regional Crime Unit and Acting Superintendent Lee Tsz-chun of the Inter-departmental Counter-Terrorism Task Force briefed on the case.
Hong Kong 01 reported that Choi Ting-kwong stated police received a public tip-off yesterday about someone publicly posting videos of chemical experiments on social media platforms. The person in the video openly claimed to be making bombs and hinted at having successfully produced explosives. Police took this seriously and immediately handed the case over to the Kowloon East Regional Crime Unit Team 2.
He said that after in-depth investigation, police quickly solved the case on the same day, arresting a 12-year-old boy, a first-year junior high school student, in the Tseung Kwan O district for 'attempting to manufacture explosives'. Subsequently, a search of the arrested boy's residence in Tseung Kwan O district uncovered a mobile phone, a tablet computer, and flints, among other items.
Choi Ting-kwong pointed out that the location where the arrested boy conducted the chemical experiments was under a bridge, which, although remote, was close to public recreational areas and jogging paths. Fortunately, the incident did not cause any casualties or property damage. However, if the experiment had gone out of control, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
He stated that police condemned the boy for conducting experiments in a public place without wearing any protective clothing, disregarding his own safety and that of others. The boy also posted photos online, claiming the white powder in the photos was 'explosives' he had made.
Choi Ting-kwong emphasized that manufacturing explosives, regardless of success, quantity, or destructive power, is a very serious crime. According to Section 55 of Chapter 200 of the Laws of Hong Kong, the Crimes Ordinance, anyone who manufactures explosives is liable to imprisonment for up to 14 years upon conviction; and according to Section 54 of the same ordinance, anyone who attempts to cause an explosion with intent to endanger life or property is liable to imprisonment for up to 20 years upon conviction.
Lee Tsz-chun stated that police have recently observed a trend of self-radicalization becoming younger globally. Young people from any place or background may be influenced by extremist ideologies and even engage in terrorism-related or violent acts. In preventing self-radicalization, the roles of parents and teachers are very important.
Lee Tsz-chun appealed to the public in Hong Kong that if they notice signs of extremist tendencies in the thoughts or behaviors of those around them, they should proactively seek professional help early, or even decisively report it. Early identification and early intervention are the best protection for individuals influenced by extremist ideologies, especially teenagers or students, who can be assisted through support from various departments or organizations to stay away from extremist behaviors and establish correct values. (Editors: Yang Sheng-ru / Chiu Kuo-chiang) 1150505
Hong Kong police held a press conference this afternoon, where Acting Chief Inspector Choi Ting-kwong of the Kowloon East Regional Crime Unit and Acting Superintendent Lee Tsz-chun of the Inter-departmental Counter-Terrorism Task Force briefed on the case.
Hong Kong 01 reported that Choi Ting-kwong stated police received a public tip-off yesterday about someone publicly posting videos of chemical experiments on social media platforms. The person in the video openly claimed to be making bombs and hinted at having successfully produced explosives. Police took this seriously and immediately handed the case over to the Kowloon East Regional Crime Unit Team 2.
He said that after in-depth investigation, police quickly solved the case on the same day, arresting a 12-year-old boy, a first-year junior high school student, in the Tseung Kwan O district for 'attempting to manufacture explosives'. Subsequently, a search of the arrested boy's residence in Tseung Kwan O district uncovered a mobile phone, a tablet computer, and flints, among other items.
Choi Ting-kwong pointed out that the location where the arrested boy conducted the chemical experiments was under a bridge, which, although remote, was close to public recreational areas and jogging paths. Fortunately, the incident did not cause any casualties or property damage. However, if the experiment had gone out of control, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
He stated that police condemned the boy for conducting experiments in a public place without wearing any protective clothing, disregarding his own safety and that of others. The boy also posted photos online, claiming the white powder in the photos was 'explosives' he had made.
Choi Ting-kwong emphasized that manufacturing explosives, regardless of success, quantity, or destructive power, is a very serious crime. According to Section 55 of Chapter 200 of the Laws of Hong Kong, the Crimes Ordinance, anyone who manufactures explosives is liable to imprisonment for up to 14 years upon conviction; and according to Section 54 of the same ordinance, anyone who attempts to cause an explosion with intent to endanger life or property is liable to imprisonment for up to 20 years upon conviction.
Lee Tsz-chun stated that police have recently observed a trend of self-radicalization becoming younger globally. Young people from any place or background may be influenced by extremist ideologies and even engage in terrorism-related or violent acts. In preventing self-radicalization, the roles of parents and teachers are very important.
Lee Tsz-chun appealed to the public in Hong Kong that if they notice signs of extremist tendencies in the thoughts or behaviors of those around them, they should proactively seek professional help early, or even decisively report it. Early identification and early intervention are the best protection for individuals influenced by extremist ideologies, especially teenagers or students, who can be assisted through support from various departments or organizations to stay away from extremist behaviors and establish correct values. (Editors: Yang Sheng-ru / Chiu Kuo-chiang) 1150505