HONG KONG, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong saw another violent night on Sunday as radical protesters, despite smaller in numbers, popped up in various districts to smash shops, vandalize metro stations and launch firebomb and cut-throat attacks against police.
In an alarming escalation of violence, a rioter attacked with a sharp object and slashed an officer's neck at the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) Kwun Tong station at about 5:30 p.m. local time.
The injured officer, with his neck bleeding but in conscious state, has been sent to hospital. Two suspects were arrested at the scene, the Hong Kong police said.
Unauthorized demonstrations and gatherings began to rage multiple locations across Hong Kong on Sunday afternoon, and soon escalated into violence after groups of masked rioters went on rampage again.
Radical protesters were seen hurling bricks and shouting obscenities at police officers. In Sha Tin, thugs threw petrol bombs from height targeting a police vehicle and set it ablaze.
At the busy market areas of Mong Kok, rioters assaulted another police officer, bludgeoning him and attempting to snatch his rifle, a TV footage showed.
As violence continued into the evening, over 20 fire bombs were hurled at the Mong Kok police station at about 9:00 p.m., setting off a huge blaze in its front. An explosion was also heard near a moving police vehicle on the Nathan Road.
Shops with Chinese mainland backgrounds and residents who held different political views were also attacked by roaming battalions of mobsters, who allegedly adopted the strategy of popping up in multiple locations at the same time to maximize disruption.
In an orgy of violence, they blocked major roads and vandalized public facilities, including traffic lights, MTR stations, government buildings, and offices of district councillors. Numerous shops in shopping malls including Starbucks and Huawei were smashed, prompting police to charge into the malls to nab the vandals.
Police said they had fired tear gas to disperse those violent demonstrators after acts of violence and criminal damage were reported in both Sha Tin and Tsuen Wan.
The MTR Corp, operator of Hong Kong's train network, had to suspend train services of all the light rail routes and dozens of MTR stations again as masked rioters vandalized stations and hurled objects into the rail track.
The Hong Kong police said such acts neglected the safety of members of the public as the station was in operation at the material time.
As violence spread, the town hall, a swimming pool, a sports center and some other public facilities in Sha Tin district were forced to close, while all leisure facilities in Tsuen Wan district and all swimming pools in Tuen Mun district have been closed.
Since June, the Asian trading and financial hub has been plagued by unrest originating from protests over the proposed ordinance amendments concerning fugitives' transfers.
Although the HKSAR government has withdrawn the amendments, violence continued as protesters veered off their original agenda to raise the ante, causing a split in society and taking a heavy toll on the economy.
On Sunday night, the HKSAR government expressed "extreme outrage" at recurrent violent acts of masked rioters, who it said obviously targeted police officers for attacks.
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