A homemade bomb was found at the Hong Kong police headquarters on Monday in a parcel addressed to the head of the police forces, the Hong Kong police said, sternly condemning the perpetrators and warning against homegrown terrorism.

Staff at the police headquarters received on Monday morning a suspicious parcel addressed to Chris Tang Ping-keung, commissioner of police of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government. As the parcel smelt of flammable materials, officers of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bureau (EODB) were called to the scene to examine the parcel, and confirmed that there was an improvised explosive devise in it.

The EODB officers safely disposed of the bomb. No one was injured. They are investigating into the bomb's composition, Senior Superintendent Ng Wing-sze of the Hong Kong Island Regional Crime Headquarters said at a media briefing on Monday afternoon.

According to Hong Kong's Crimes Ordinance, any person who unlawfully and maliciously causes an explosion could be liable to imprisonment for life, Ng noted. "Obviously, the persons who designed and sent out this explosive device have the intention to cause injuries to the person who receives and opens the parcel."

"Improvised explosive devises are usually unstable and could detonate in transit, causing injuries to innocent people," she said. "The police sternly condemn the perpetrators' extremely irresponsible acts that disregard the safety of others and openly challenge the law enforcement agencies."

The police will try their best to investigate into the case and make arrests, she added.

The police's Senior Bomb Disposal Officer Alick McWhirter said at the briefing that the homemade bomb is "partially functioned" and "victim operated".

"It was designed to function by whoever opens the parcel. They would be the victim, whether that be a police officer, a civilian, or a member of the post office, for example," he added.

McWhirter said the postal bomb was meant to cause injuries to the victim as the person who opens the package could be in very close proximity to the bomb and would be targeted in the hands, eyes and face.

"These types of device, postal homemade bombs, have been commonly used by terrorists around the world over the past few decades," he said. "And sadly, today, this is yet another indication that in Hong Kong we are still dealing with homegrown terrorism." 

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