Hong Kong court convicts 1 person and acquits 6 others in landmark terrorism trial

HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong court has convicted one person and acquitted six others over a thwarted bomb plot during anti-government protests in 2019. Local media reported the verdict Thursday in the city’s first case involving a United Nations anti-terrorism law. A panel of nine jurors convicted Lai Chun-pong of conspiring to cause explosions likely to endanger life or cause significant property damage. He was acquitted of conspiring to target prescribed objects with bombs under the anti-terror law. The remaining six were cleared of all charges against them. The seven are not well-known activists, but their case has drawn attention because the United Nations anti-terrorism measures ordinance was invoked.