HONG KONG — The orchestrator of a thwarted bombing scheme during the 2019 anti-government demonstrations in Hong Kong has been sentenced to nearly 24 years in prison. This case represents the first instance where a United Nations anti-terrorism law has been applied in the city.

Ng Chi-hung, who earlier admitted to conspiring to bomb designated targets under the anti-terrorism legislation and to possessing weapons or ammunition with the intention of jeopardizing life, was handed a sentence of 23 years and 10 months by a court in Hong Kong on Thursday.

Alongside him, six other defendants were also convicted for their involvement in the plan to plant two explosive devices and shoot police officers along a protest route on December 8, 2019, amid widespread accusations of police brutality against the demonstrators.

While the seven individuals are not particularly well-known figures within Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, their case has attracted attention because the United Nations (Anti-Terrorism Measures) Ordinance was activated.

This law was instituted in Hong Kong following a United Nations Security Council resolution that was adopted in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States.

Local media reports indicated that the prosecution described most of the defendants as affiliated with two separate groups: one led by Ng and another known as the “Dragon Slaying Brigade.” Prosecutors revealed that the brigade’s members were engaged in planning to entice police officers into a location where explosives would be detonated while a sniper targeted them.

Wong Chun-keung, who heads the brigade, received a sentence of over 13 years, whereas five other defendants were given prison sentences that ranged between almost six years and 12 years.

In contrast, six other defendants who had pleaded not guilty were acquitted by a jury in August.

The protests of 2019 represented the most significant challenge to the Hong Kong government since the territory was handed back to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.

As a consequence of the unrest surrounding a now-repealed extradition bill that would have allowed the extradition of fugitives to mainland China, over 10,000 individuals have been detained in relation to the often-violent disturbances.