Top squads put to test in mock battle between armed officers and colleagues posing as terrorists, as force prepares for arrival of Chinese president for city’s handover celebrations.

Christy Leung and Danny Mok report: Heavily armed terrorists ramming a van into a crowded carnival was one of the scenarios Hong Kong police were training for in Kowloon Bay yesterday as more than 300 armed officers mounted a large-scale anti-terrorism drill in preparation for visits by state leaders next month.

The headquarters of the city’s auxiliary police force became the scene of a fierce mock battle between armed officers and police posing as terrorists.

Top squads including the Special Duties Unit – also known as the Flying Tigers – the Counter Terrorism Response Unit, Police Tactical Unit and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bureau were put through their paces to gauge their readiness for a terrorist attack.

The force’s top brass, including deputy police chief Alan Lau Yip-shing, attended the exercise, the first of its kind.

Simulating recent deadly terrorist attacks in London, Berlin and Nice, a group of heavily armed “mainland terrorists” drove a van into a crowd at a carnival, attacking people with knives, pistols and grenades.

The scenario saw the terrorists take several hostages and move into a nearby building, prompting the force to send in negotiators to secure their release.

The “terrorists” were eventually subdued by elite officers from the Flying Tigers, the force’s main paramilitary special operations unit. Bomb disposal experts were also deployed to disarm an explosive device found under the van … (read more)

via South China Morning Post