hong kong police
© Reuters/Tyrone SiuPolice stand guard at Hong Kong's tourism district Tsim Sha Tsui during anti-extradition bill protest, China July 7, 2019.
One person was arrested after Hong Kong police discovered a stash of explosives and weapons, stored along with banners and clothes bearing the emblem of the Hong Kong National Front (HKNF) party, in a raid on Friday night.

Police said Saturday a bomb disposal unit was called to a warehouse belonging to the pro-independence group to carry out a controlled detonation of the highly unstable substance tri-acetone tri-peroxide (TATP). A total of two kilograms (4.4 pounds) of TATP was discovered by the police, in addition to 10 incendiary devices, acidic substances, and sharp tools that could be used as weapons, the Hong Kong Free Press reported.


The HKNF acknowledged the arrest of one of its members, who was identified as a 27-year-old man, but denied any prior knowledge of the weapons haul, insisting the storage site was used exclusively for sound equipment and leaflets.


Police described the explosives as "extremely sensitive and extremely powerful" with the potential to inflict "exceptional amounts of damage when used" and the cache itself as the "largest seizure" in Hong Kong history. The HKNF is a small pro-independence party that calls for "armed resistance against the Communist China regime."

The incident comes just ahead of an opposition rally planned for Sunday.