Six senior or former senior staff members of Stand News, an online media company, were arrested by Hong Kong police's National Security Department on Wednesday morning for conspiracy to publish seditious publication.

According to reports, the company's acting chief editor Patrick Lam, its former board members Denise Ho and barrister Margaret Ng were among those arrested.

In a statement issued on Wednesday morning, the police said the arrested, three men and three women aged 34 to 73, are suspected of violating section 9 and 10 of the Crimes Ordinance.

Over 200 uniformed and plainclothes police officers were searching the company's premise in Kwun Tong. The searches on their respective residences were also underway, according to the statement.

The police were authorized to raid and seize relevant journalistic materials, with a warrant issued under Schedule 1 of the Implementation Rules for Article 43 of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.