A suspect was arrested by police early Sunday after 30 people, including nine tourists, were injured by an acid attacker at Hong Kong's famous Temple Street night market, dpa reported.
Panic broke out at the market packed with shoppers and outdoor diners when two plastic bottles of corrosive acid were thrown from a high-rise building at around 9:30 pm Saturday.
Thirty people were taken to hospital, the youngest a child aged 7, after the acid scorched through clothes and left victims with painful burns. None was seriously hurt.
Hours after Saturday night's attack, a Chinese man in his 30s was found hiding on a rooftop near the scene. Police say they found lids matching the bottles used in the attack.
He was taken away by police in handcuffs and was being questioned about the attack early Sunday.
Over the past 13 months, more than 100 people have been injured in shopping areas around Hong Kong's densely populated Kowloon district in similar attacks with acid thrown from high buildings.
Speaking Sunday, Hong Kong chief executive Donald Tsang condemned the attack and said it was "infuriating" that it had followed the earlier incidents.
Tsang reminded people that a 300,000 Hong Kong dollars (38,000 US dollars) reward had been offered for information about the earlier attacks.
The arrest was the first in connection with any of the incidents. The suspect was still being held by police Sunday afternoon.