British man, 35, arrested after damaging check-in kiosks at Hong Kong International Airport

2026-02-16 - 07:08

A 35-year-old British man has been arrested after a viral video appeared to show him damaging self-service check-in kiosks in the early morning of Monday at the Hong Kong International Airport. A screenshot of a video showing a man smashing a self-service check-in kiosk with a metal post at the Hong Kong International Airport on February 16, 2026. Photo: Screenshot, via Threads. Social media footage that went viral on Monday showed a man pushing over the kiosks at the airport’s departure hall and smashing them with a metal post. The Airport Authority told HKFP that at around 6am on Monday, a man damaged roughly 10 smart check-in kiosks, some railings and nearby counters at Aisle J of the airport’s Terminal 1. “Airport Authority staff and airport security personnel rushed to the scene and warned the man to stop causing further damage,” a spokesperson for the authority said. “Police have arrested the man and launched an investigation.” Police said the man is a 35-year-old British tourist and that he was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and possession of “Part 1” poisons. A screenshot of a video showing a man pushing over a self-service check-in kiosk at the Hong Kong International Airport on February 16, 2026. Photo: Screenshot, via Threads. Four Viagra pills, a prescription drug used to treat impotence, were found in the man’s backpack, according to police. In Hong Kong, it is illegal to possess Viagra without a doctor’s prescription. Offenders face a maximum penalty of two years in jail and a HK$100,000 fine. Local media reported that the man came to Hong Kong in November and was planning to buy a flight ticket leaving Hong Kong on Monday morning. He reportedly was emotionally unstable when he arrived at Aisle J of Terminal 1, using his trolley to knock down railings before toppling the kiosks and damaging a glass panel. Police officers arrested him at the bus unloading area at the airport.