Third attack in six months, Hong Kong believes culprit could be the same person
05:55 AM Jun 10, 2009
Victims of the acid attack receiving treatment by the roadside. AP
HONG KONG - Residents ventured out unafraid yesterday as police searched for suspects behind a third acid attack that injured 24 people in one of the city's most densely-populated shopping districts.
The latest attack on Monday night dominated headlines in Hong Kong, with several newspapers showing photos of victims washing off the acid on the roadside.
Police said a bottle filled with a corrosive liquid was hurled into a crowd in the busy Mongkok district, injuring 24 people. None of the victims, aged four to 49, were seriously burned.
It is the third such attack in six months in the neighbourhood, and 100 people have since been hurt.
On the same street last month, 30 people suffered burns when two plastic bottles filled with acid were thrown down into a crowd. Another 46 were injured in a similar attack in the same neighbourhood in December.
There were no signs the attacks had sparked widespread panic in the city of 7 million, as locals mostly went about their business.
But in Mongkok - a shopping hotspot that attracts thousands of people daily - some shoppers were staying away.
Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang condemned the attack, saying it was "cold blooded and evil" and that the assailant was "scum of the society".
Police superintendent Edward Leung was quoted as saying in the South China Morning Post yesterday that it was possible the same person had carried out all three attacks.
He added in a radio interview that officers were reviewing surveillance footage taken by cameras recently installed to monitor the area of the attacks.
Investigators have also posted a HK$900,000 ($170,000) reward for information leading to an arrest. - AP
From TODAY, World – Wednesday, 10-Jun-2009
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