Arrests made after 'suspected' explosives found in Hong Kong

"The Organized Crime and Triad Bureau has conducted an operation and discovered a certain amount of suspected explosives in (eastern) Sai Kung," a spokesman for the authorities who made the arrests told local media on Sunday, Press TV reported.

Police said that “there were arrests,” but did not give any specific number as to how many were detained.

But, according to media reports in the city, nine people had been arrested in the operation in the east-coast district.

Reports also said that the explosives were found at an abandoned television studio.

Two popular news outlets, The South China Morning Post and the Oriental Daily, claimed that those who were arrested were linked to this week's vote on an unpopular political reform package the government was working to implement.

Police, according to The South China Morning Post said the explosives, "were intended to be detonated before the Legislative Council debates the government's political reform package this week."

Political activists were reportedly angry over a new draft bill that lays out a plan for choosing the city's next leader by public elections for the first time in 2017.

Last year, Beijing called for the vetting of nominations for the region’s next chief executive.

The decision was met with mass rallies against the ruling that took place across the city.

Hong Kong’s leadership returned to China after about a century of British colonial rule in 1979.