The Hong Kong police on Monday arrested seven people, including Jimmy Lai, the media tycoon and critic of the Chinese Communist Party, on charges of violating the territory’s new national security law.

Lai’s arrest makes him the most high-profile target of the sweeping legislation imposed by Beijing. It also highlighted concerns that the new security law would be used to silence critical voices and curb the city’s freewheeling press as part of a broader move against democracy advocates.

Lai’s company, Next Digital, publishes Apple Daily, a pro-democracy newspaper that regularly takes on the Hong Kong government and the Chinese leadership. He is often denounced by Chinese officials, pro-Beijing news outlets in Hong Kong and China’s state-run news media.

The newspaper live-streamed video footage of more than 100 police officers turning up in force and raiding Next Digital’s headquarters on Monday morning. Officers were seen rifling through papers on journalists’ desks as Lai and the company’s chief executive, Cheung Kim-hung, were led through the offices in handcuffs. Officers cordoned off Lai’s office and several reporters’ cubicles for searches, photos shared on social media showed.

Apple Daily reported that Lai, 72, was being investigated on charges of collusion with a foreign country.

Mark Simon, a senior executive with Next Digital, said that Lai’s two sons had also been arrested. They were being investigated for violations of the company business code. He noted that Lai’s sons were not affiliated with Apple Daily.

New York Times News Service