A 71-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of prejudicing an investigation into offences endangering national security.

National security police accused the man of allegedly disclosing part of a meeting’s content on social media after he had been invited by police for questioning.

He is accused of violating the offence of “prejudicing an investigation of offences endangering national security” under Section 88 of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance – the first time this provision has been used by the police to make an arrest.

The suspect was also arrested on suspicion of committing offences related to “seditious intention".

“The suspect illegally disclosed information that effectively tipped off other individuals involved in the investigation," said chief superintendent of the national security department, Steve Li.

“During our investigations, we also discovered that he had posted a number of seditious messages on his social media platforms, particularly after the Tai Po fire. The main purpose of those posts was to incite public hatred toward the Central and SAR governments.”

In the days following the tragic fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, Li said officers had observed large amounts of misinformation circulating online.

Some of the false statements included claims that care team members had called police to arrest other volunteers for unlawful assembly, and that Putonghua-speaking individuals had stolen supplies from affected residents, he said.

Li stressed that authorities would not tolerate anyone spreading hatred or disinformation aimed at hindering government efforts to support victims, investigate the cause of the incident, and identify and address systemic loopholes.

Investigations will continue, he said, adding police will discuss the next step with the Department of Justice.