A radical protester in Hong Kong Photo: AFP

The member of a mob rumored to have been "killed by police" during a riot on August 31 of last year at Prince Edward station in Hong Kong "came back to life," and the "dead man" himself said on social media that he is alive and now seeking political protection in the UK. 

The man, named "Wang Maojun" in Chinese, was rumored to have been killed by Hong Kong police when he was using the alias "Hon Bo-sun" during the "8.31 attacks." Mobs had been hyping up the rumor to incite riots in Hong Kong. 

Wang, however, showed up on Youtube on Saturday claiming he has been charged with eight criminal offences by Hong Kong police due to the riots last year and faces several years in prison if convicted.

Wang was due to appear in court on July 17 this year, but skipped bail and fled to the UK.

Wang was one of the 600 people charged by Hong Kong police last year for participating in riots in the city and among the first batch of people charged for the "8.31 attacks."

He was charged with two counts of rioting, two counts of criminal damage, one count of illegal assembly, one count of ordinary assault, one count of causing bodily harm, and one count of robbery.

On August 31 last year, rioters entered Prince Edward Station and changed their shirts in the train compartment of the MTR. After some citizens argued with them, police went to the scene to enforce the law and sealed off the station.