China has expressed fury in response to the arrest of three individuals accused of spying for Hong Kong, labeling the UK's actions as an "unwarranted accusation." The trio, identified

as Chi Leung (Peter) Wai, Matthew Trickett, and Chung Biu Yuen, faces charges related to assisting Hong Kong's intelligence service and engaging in foreign interference, as announced by the Metropolitan Police.

Among the accused, Wai holds positions within British Government bodies, serving with the UK's Border Force at Heathrow Airport and as a volunteer special constable with the City of London Police. He is alleged to have conducted surveillance activities on behalf of Hong Kong intelligence. Trickett, a former Royal Marines commando, is employed as a Home Office immigration enforcement officer. Yuen, a retired Hong Kong police officer, currently works as a Hong Kong trade official in London.

The arrests followed an investigation by counter-terror police, resulting in 11 individuals being apprehended under the National Security Act, enacted in 2023 to address threats posed by hostile states. The charges stem from an incident where the accused attempted to gain entry into the residence of a Hong Kong dissident in West Yorkshire on May 1.

In response to these developments, the Chinese embassy in London condemned the UK's stance, while former Home Secretary Suella Braverman urged for the classification of China as a hostile state, emphasizing the significance of prioritizing national security concerns. Photo. by Philafrenzy, Wikimedia commons.