Rioters set fire at Causeway Bay in Hong Kong, south China, Oct. 4, 2019. (Xinhua)

Hong Kong police detained five rioters for allegedly hiding explosives after they exited a court building following their earlier release from custody due to courtroom paperwork errors.  

At around 7 pm, over 100 police officers stood outside the Eastern Law Courts Building and waited for the five protestors to exit the courthouse. About an hour later, they were arrested again and taken away in squad cars, reported Sing Tao Daily. 

HK police detained three men and two women, ages 19 to 24, on Saturday. The suspects face charges of possessing explosives at a warehouse in Wan Chai, including 59 finished and 79 unfinished Molotov cocktails. Authorities also discovered extendable batons, pepper spray, and gas masks at the same warehouse. 

Before their release, defense lawyers discovered that prosecutors had misspelled the names of the defendants on the court indictment. Due to inconsistencies with the Chinese and English indictments, lawyers argued the prosecution could not move forward, and the defendants should be released. 

The five protestors were released after a court magistrate deemed the hearing invalid, Oriental Daily News reported. 

Police were stationed inside and outside the perimeter of the courthouse to counter potential problems, a common HK police procedure. "The police who were outside tonight are not an individual case," Joe Chan Cho-kwong, former chairman of Junior Police Officers' Association, told the Global Times on Monday.

Monday night's turmoil was the result of errors made on the prosecution paperwork, which needs to be corrected before legal proceedings can resume, said Chan.

The public has questioned the "catch-and-release" phenomenon of Hong Kong's judicial authorities. The case Monday night triggered further speculation among the public and also with Chan. 

Chan, with more than 40 years of experience as a police officer, said such mistakes should not be made. According to Hong Kong law, indictments involving severe cases are issued by special officers who are well-trained lawyers and unlikely to make such amateur errors.

Many have speculated the mistakes were made on purpose, Chan added. 

The case is expected to resume as quickly as possible.