Hong Kong police arrest 5 in raids on 2 independent bookstores
What's new: The suspects could face up to seven years in prison under the 2024 national security law.
Hong Kong police raided two independent bookstores in Mong Kok on Wednesday and arrested five people on suspicion of selling and displaying seditious publications. Authorities said the group — two men and three women — was suspected of acting with seditious intent under the 2024 national security law, accusing the books of stirring hatred against the city's government, judiciary and law enforcement agencies. Local media identified the stores as Have A Nice Stay and Greenfield Book Store. Police said customs officials referred the case after allegedly seditious books were found in goods shipped to Hong Kong from overseas. It was the third round of bookstore arrests this year, after similar operations in March and June.