Radical protesters hurl petrol bombs at HKSAR gov't offices, police start dispersal operations

Radical protesters set fires in Admiralty area, threw petrol bombs at the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government offices and vandalized mass transit railway (MTR) stations Sunday afternoon after an illegal rally again turned violent.

After violence erupted, the Hong Kong police started dispersal operations in the Central and Admiralty areas.

Hong Kong police prepare to disperse the protesters outside the government headquarters in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on September 15, 2019. [Photo: AFP]

During the illegal rally on the Hong Kong Island, the protesters occupied several main roads, causing serious obstruction to the traffic.

Some radical protesters smashed glass at the Wan Chai MTR station, damaged and blocked the exits of Admiralty MTR station, and hurled bricks and Molotov cocktails in areas around the HKSAR government headquarters and Legislative Council (LegCo) buildings.

TV footage showed that some radical protesters set a Chinese national flag on fire in the area.

The LegCo Secretariat issued a red alert Sunday afternoon and required all persons to evacuate the LegCo Complex immediately.

The MTR said the Admiralty station was forced to close because of a sudden escalation in the situation near the station, and some exits at several MTR stations on the Hong Kong Island were closed.

The police said the radical protesters were participating in an unauthorized assembly and their acts seriously threatened the safety of all the people at scene, warning them to stop their illegal acts immediately.