Hong Kong Media Tycoon, Hong Kong Media Outlet Hit by Firebomb Attack

MOSCOW, January 12 (Sputnik) – The home of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai, as well as the office of Next Media, were attacked by petrol bombs overnight, Hong Kong daily South China Morning Post reported.

“The cases have been classified as arson. We are still verifying the details,” the spokeswoman of the Hong Kong police told AFP.

No injuries were reported as a result, and the buildings that were attacked suffered no significant damage, Hong Kong daily The Standard reported. The cars used by the attackers were later found torched, according to the AFP.

The coordinated attacks targeted the tycoon’s home as well as the headquarters of Next Media, a media outlet in which the tycoon held positions as chief executive officer and chairman of the board until resigning from both positions on December 14, following his arrest the previous day, according to the Wall Street Journal.

According to the Guardian, the tycoon was targeted during Hong Kong’s Occupy Central protests, as a group of men threw rotten meat at him. The printing presses of his newspaper Apple Daily were also attacked during the protests.

Lai’s role in the protests sparked controversy after leaked emails showed that he donated millions to the Occupy Central movement and opposition lawmakers, according to Forbes. He was arrested during the clearing of the protest camp and is expected to be arrested on January 21 and charged with instigating, organizing and participating in an unlawful assembly together with two other co-founders of the movement, according to SCMP.