Terrorists taking hostages on a plane

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”, the cabin echoed the noise of gunshots, which alarmed the officers of the Special Duties Unit (SDU). Upon assessment of the situation, they timely conducted an operation with Immediate Tactical Intervention to subdue the terrorists on the plane. Though the curtains had fallen on the TV drama “Airport Security Unit” (ASU), there is no rest for the training of the real ASU. In the small hours on April 30, the ASU held a counter-terrorism (CT) exercise, codenamed “ROARTIGER”, at the Hong Kong International Airport with the participation of the SDU and the Police Tactical Unit (PTU).

Using a real Boeing 767 airliner and the training ammunition “FX cartridge”

The CT exercise was staged on a real training airliner parked on the apron. To simulate the real situation, the training ammunition “FX cartridge” was being used inside the cabin for the first time, which intensified the stress being experienced by the officers. The exercise aimed to test the response and the interoperability of different units in responding to the ever-changing modus operandi of terrorist attacks. The ASU and the PTU also seized this opportunity to process the evacuated passengers with the Affected Persons Reception.

An ASU officer said, “ ‘Take Two’ is only applicable for movie making but not a real operation. Therefore, we should batten down the hatches for the worst scenario and remain steadfast in protecting life and property, and to ensure the Hong Kong International Airport remains one of the safest airports in the world.”

A PTU officer said, “The sound effect of gun firing makes the scenario more realistic. The exercise provided a good opportunity for me to experience the challenges of a counter-terrorism operation.”

Readers may visit the following link to view a video of the exercise:（https://www.facebook.com/HongKongPolice Force/videos/911182872657571/）.