Hong Kong police defuse pipe bomb, arrest four for manufacturing explosives

HongKongpolicesaid theydefused apipebombandarrestedfourmen formanufacturingexplosivesafter raiding an apartment where they found protest-related items such as Guy Fawkes masks and protective gear.

Policealso searched a village house in a northern neighbourhood where they found laboratory equipment they suspect could be used for producingexplosives. The men were aged 21-29, a senior official said late on Tuesday.

Thebombwas 8 inches (20 cm) long and weighed 1.5 pounds (680 grams). The controlled explosion produced shrapnel that left a hole in the metal door of an elevator in the building, Senior Superintendent Chan Tin-chu told reporters.

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"If thebombwas thrown at a car, all the people inside the vehicle would definitely die," Chan said.

Thosearrested were suspected of being members of an anti-government protest group, he said. Three of the men were tertiary students and were also charged with illegal assembly on New Year's Day.

In early December,policesaid officers haddefused two homemadebombs found at a centrally-located school.

Policehave reported several discoveries of guns andexplosivesin recent months as pro-democracy protests that escalated in June over a now-withdrawn bill that would have allowed extraditions to China have kept a relentless pace.