Hong Kong police warn of terrorist threat as national security law stymies protests

“The problem is, you never really know what they found, what constitutes precursor chemicals,” he said, adding there is an incentive for the authorities “to talk up the threat to some degree.” “From the authorities’ perspective, it’s designed to highlight a problem they’re saying is really substantial, that has a political edge to it, and that therefore they need more support to do something about it,” he said.