'Suspect Left Suicide Note Criticising Security Law'

Police sources on Friday said the man who allegedly stabbed a uniformed officer before killing himself on Thursday night had apparently written a suicide note said to be critical of the force.

In light of the attack, frontline officers had been told to patrol in a group of two or more if manpower allows, RTHK has learnt.

Sources said the police would also step up its scrutiny of online messages to prevent potential copycat attacks, and front-line officers may wear protective vests while policing crowd management events in future.

Officers say the suspect, 50, knifed himself in the chest after stabbing and critically injuring a 28-year-old officer in Causeway Bay, right outside the Sogo department store. He was subsequently pronounced dead in hospital.

Sources said officers found a suicide note in a USB flash drive found on him, which explained his actions.

The note was critical of the police and contained views on how the national security law had undermined people's freedom, sources said.

A raid at the suspect’s home, meanwhile, found a number of materials in his computer as well as newspaper clippings relating to the 2019 social unrest.

RTHK was told that the suspect was not married, and did not have a criminal record or a known history of mental illnesses. He lived with his parents, but it’s said that they didn't know what their son did for a living.

Meanwhile, the condition of the injured officer – who was from the force’s tactical unit – had improved from critical to serious. His lung was said to have been punctured in the attack.

The police have classified the case as attempted murder and suicide, while security chief Chris Tang had described the attack as a "lone-wolf style act of domestic terrorism."

Also on Friday, some people clad in black were seen leaving white flowers at the scene of the attack, with officers stopping some of them for identity checks.

A woman wiped tears from her face, and a young man holding a placard that said “don’t die” offered free hugs to passers-by outside the shopping centre.