Qian Fenglei and his assistant were assaulted outside upscale Dynasty Club in Wan Chai, and tycoon is offering HK$10 million reward for information on three assailants.
A knife attack on a mainland Chinese billionaire Qian Fenglei and his assistant in Hong Kong on Friday was over in seconds, according to newly released video footage of the crime.
The 44-year-old tycoon, who sustained cuts to his limbs, has posted a HK$10 million (US$1.28 million) reward for information about the three unknown assailants and driver of the getaway car, who struck as he was leaving the upscale Dynasty Club in Wan Chai at around midnight.
Qian was discharged from hospital, but his assistant who suffered injuries to his head and back is in serious condition.
Police have launched a manhunt but no arrests have been made, while a source within the force said the billionaire had yet to provide a statement.
Footage lasting little more than 30 seconds, apparently taken from a security camera and circulated on Weibo or China’s version of Twitter on Monday, shows the attackers arriving by car at the entrance of the club.
In the clip, three assailants jump out and run towards Qian, who is seen about to get into his vehicle to leave. They slash at him and the assistant before running back towards their car, which the driver was already reversing.
That sequence of events lines up with what investigators had previously said.
Qian earlier announced the HK$10 million reward for information about the four, with the amount to be split if multiple people provided reliable information. If the leads resulted in the conviction of the masterminds, the amount could be even higher, he wrote on Weibo.
“The four Chinese assailants treat the law as nothing, disrupt peace in society and trample on Hong Kong’s law and order,” he said.
Qian told the media after being discharged from Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital he had no idea who attacked him. He said he had not clashed with anyone. But the source said the tycoon had played poker inside the club and got into an argument.
The businessman hails from the southeastern coastal province of Zhejiang and holds a Hong Kong identity card.
He is a close friend of Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, which owns the Post.
Qian also wrote on Weibo that he decided to double a separate reward for anyone who reported criminals who violated national security and threatened the city’s stability.