Hong Kong man jailed nearly 24 years for alleged bomb plot

Hong Kong's high court on Thursday sentenced a man to 23 years and 10 months in prison for being the leader of an alleged plot to attack police with explosives during the city's protests in 2019.

The man, Ng Chi-hung, had been charged under the United Nations Anti-Terrorism Ordinance, for offences linked to a conspiracy to use explosives and firearms to endanger life.

Another defendant, the leader of a group known as the 'Dragon Slayers' which was active during the 2019 protests, was sentenced to 13 years and six months imprisonment.

The long jail terms come amid a protracted national security clampdown by China in the global financial hub, and is the first time the UN anti-terrorism ordinance has been used in Hong Kong since 2002.