HONG KONG – The acid attacker who has brought fear to some of Hong Kong’s most popular tourist streets remains at large, police say.
In the latest attack, two bottles of acid were hurled on shoppers on Temple Street, a busy outdoor market that is a favorite of tourists and locals.
The 30 victims included children. All those splashed have since been discharged from hospital.
In recent months, shoppers have been victims of acid attacks on six occasions.
Most of them have taken place in the busy shopping district of Mong Kok, which is close to the scene of Saturday’s incident.
Most attacks have involved someone tossing a bottle of corrosive acid from a rooftop and targeting shoppers.
Despite an arrest after the latest attack, police have admitted that the man is no longer under suspicion.
The supposed attacker turned out to be an illegal immigrant with a fake identity card.
The Hong Kong Standard said despite the attack, food stalls at Temple Street were packed with diners and tourists on Sunday night – though some operators said they would not put tables and chairs in the street.
Chief executive Donald Tsang described the attack as “frustrating” in the wake of the police reward of HK$300,000 for information leading to an arrest.
