The arrests appeared intended to deter others from helping antigovernment protesters flee the Chinese territory, where Beijing’s grip is tightening.
The Hong Kong police said on Saturday that they had arrested nine people accused of helping a group of protesters, who were later intercepted by the mainland Chinese authorities, flee the city in August by speedboat. The arrests seemed intended to send a message to anyone who might consider helping other antigovernment protesters escape Hong Kong, where anxiety about Beijing’s tightening grip has intensified since the Communist Party imposed a sweeping national security law on the Chinese territory in June. The nine people arrested on Saturday are accused of funding the protesters’ planned escape to Taiwan and offering them shelter and a ride to a remote pier in Hong Kong, a police spokesman, Ho Chun-tung, said. At least one of the nine is accused of supplying a boat, Mr. Ho said. The 12 protesters who tried to escape were barred from leaving Hong Kong, the police said, and have been under investigation over their participation in the large-scale demonstrations that gripped the territory last year.
