Washington Republican Senator Jeff Wilson was arrested at the Hong Kong airport for carrying a firearm without a license, as reported this Tuesday by local media.
Wilson was arrested on Saturday and appeared on Monday before a Hong Kong court that ordered his provisional release after imposing bail of 20,000 Hong Kong dollars (2,556 dollars, 2,393 euros) and retained his passport, pending the trial.
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Carrying weapons without a license is punishable under the laws of the former British colony with sentences of up to 14 years in prison and a fine of 100,000 Hong Kong dollars (12,785 dollars, 11,965 euros).
The senator says it was an “honest mistake”
The senator, who was on a private vacation in Asia with his wife, said in a statement posted on his Senate page that What happened was an “honest mistake” and he hopes the situation will be resolved soon.
In addition, the senator’s office refuted information published in some media that the pistol was found during a security check in Hong Kong.
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According to the aforementioned note, the politician realized that he was carrying an unloaded pistol in his briefcase when he was already on a flight between San Francisco and Hong Kong, and “immediately” reported the situation to the customs authorities after landing in the Asian city.
Likewise, Wilson noted that the weapon is legally registered in Washington state, although not in Hong Kong.
He also assured that once the matter was resolved, He plans to continue his trip, which includes stops in Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia.
According to the Hong Kong media Sing Tao Dailythe senator, his wife and two other men who were accompanying them got into an altercation outside the courts when several reporters tried to take photographs of them, so the police had to go to the scene to calm the situation.
EFE
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