Rioters set barricades with debris on streets to block traffic on Jan. 1, 2020 in Hong Kong, China. (Xinhua)

A 16-year-old from Hong Kong along with his aunt were arrested on Monday by police on suspicion of storing and making explosives at their residences. 

In a raid before the one-year anniversary of anti-extradition law protests, Hong Kong police discovered amounts of chemical materials for making bombs, political slogan banners and four imitation guns at two residential houses in Wanchai. 

Police said they had received tipoffs from November to April this year that there were people purchasing raw materials via overseas websites for making explosives. 

At the two residential houses of Li, the 16-year-old and Jiang, the 52-year-old aunt in Wanchai, police found about 10 pieces of hydrogen peroxide, a batch of acetone, strong acid and other chemicals and some experiment apparatus. 

Police also seized flags with the slogans "Restore Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Times," which were used by Hong Kong separatists last year during protests against the extradition law. 

The suspects declined to reveal the purposes for manufacturing explosives. 

The police said that for cases of juveniles breaking the law, they may have been incited by others to carry out illegal activities, and called on parents to pay more attention to their children.

In last year's anti-extradition bill protests, which later escalated into riots and violence, many of the participants were young people.

Global Times