Hong Kong police warn protesters over carrying guns

This photo shows a radical protester setting fire in Hong Kong. (Xinhua)

When someone draws a gun, there is no way for police to tell if it's real or not. "The police would respond with force if a gun is pointed at anyone. That could have the most severe consequences," said Tse Chun-chung, chief superintendent of the Hong Kong Police Public Relations Branch.

HONG KONG, Sept. 2 -- Carrying a gun, real or replica, could have dire consequences, a Hong Kong police spokesman warned protesters at a press conference on Monday.

When someone draws a gun, there is no way for police to tell if it's real or not. "The police would respond with force if a gun is pointed at anyone. That could have the most severe consequences," said Tse Chun-chung, chief superintendent of the Hong Kong Police Public Relations Branch.

Carrying a gun is a criminal offense by itself, Tse said.

Tse also denied allegations that some gun-carrying protesters were police personnel in disguise, saying the guns carried by protesters were not used by the police.

"These vicious slanders are despicable attempts to smear police officers who act in strict accordance with the law."

Multiple gun-carrying rioters had been captured in photos and video footages of recent violent protests in Hong Kong.

Radicals threw more than 100 petrol bombs during the rioting on Saturday. The petrol bombs they used are becoming more powerful, causing longer and fiercer fires. "Should a petrol bomb hit any resident, the consequences would be unthinkable," Mak Chin-ho, an assistant commissioner of police, told the press conference.

Rioters also committed arson on Saturday, setting fire on Hennessy Road, a major thoroughfare on the Hong Kong Island. They kept adding fuel into the massive flames, causing at least two explosions, said Mak.

Mak elaborated on Sunday's unlawful gathering where radical protesters disrupted transport to Hong Kong International Airport, forcing travellers to walk for miles to catch flights.

Some protesters put iron bars and other obstacles on the tracks of the Airport Express, vandalized metro stations and blocked roads with mills barriers and luggage trolleys, Mak said.

These protesters violated a court injunction against obstructing the proper use of the airport, and are liable for contempt of court, he said.

"These violent acts have no excuses. People who try to justify them are condoning violence," Mak said of the weekend's violent events.

A total of 159 people were arrested for the massive violence in Hong Kong at the weekend, bringing the number of total arrests to 1,117 since protests began in early June.