Firebombs hurled at home of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai and Next Media HQ
PUBLISHED : Monday, 12 January, 2015, 8:25am
UPDATED : Monday, 12 January, 2015, 10:02am
Danny Mok
A masked man was caught on camera hurling a flaming bottle at the gates of Jimmy Lai's home at 1.45am. Photo: SCMP
Masked attackers hurled petrol bombs at the home and media HQ of Next Media founder Jimmy Lai Chee-ying in coordinated attacks in the early hours of Monday morning.
In the first attack at 1.45am two men pulled up outside Lai's home on Kadoorie Avenue before one, wearing a surgical mask and a hood to hide his features, set fire to something protruding from a bottle before throwing it at the gates.
The contents of the bottle exploded in flames which were quickly extinguished by security guards.
Five minutes later a similar firebomb was thrown at the gates of Next Media in Chung Ying Street in the Tseung Kwan O indistrial estate.
The firebomber of Jimmy Lai's home prepares to hurl a flaming bottle at the gates. Photo: SCMP
The attackers then drove to another entrance and threw another firebomb.
Two cars suspected to have been used in the attacks were later found torched in Chak On Road in Shek Kip Mei, and Sham Mong Road in Cheung Sha Wan.
FIrefighters were called to tackle the blazing vehicles and investigators discovered the license plates had been removed.
Police said the motive for the attacks was still under investigation. No arrests have been made.
Glass fragments from the firebomb attack and a policeman posted outside Jimmy Lai's house this morning. Photo: Felix Wong
Lai stepped down as chief executive officer and chairman of the board of Next Media following his participation in Hong Kong's pro-democracy Occupy protests at the end of 2014.
A statement released on December 14 said Lai "has decided to step down from his executive positions of the group so as to spend more time with his family and further pursue his personal interests".
The previous day Lai had been arrested - along with other leading supporters of the Occupy civil disobedience campaign - when police cleared a protest camp in Hong Kong's Admiralty.
The company's flagship titles Apple Daily and Next Magazine had long lent their support to the pro-democracy movement.
Media tycoon Jimmy Lai quit as Next Media chairman on December 14 to 'spend more time with his family'. Photo: AFP
