Hong Kong authorities on Monday arrested Jimmy Lai, 72-year-old media mogul and a staunch opponent of Beijing, under a new national security law after he was accused of colluding with foreign forces.

The French Press Agency quoted one of his aides, Marc Simon, as saying that Jimmy Lay was arrested by the security forces from his home, and members of his media group were also arrested.

Authorities charged Jimmy Lai with collusion with foreign forces, one of the crimes stipulated in the new National Security Law, whose approval was met by massive demonstrations in the country.

Jimmy Lay owns the Apple Daily, which publishes pro-democracy material, and is considered one of the few newspapers in Hong Kong that has the audacity to openly criticize the Chinese Communist Party.

Jimmy Lai is seen by many supporters of democracy as a hero, while Chinese media consider him a "traitor" and describe him as a "black hand" behind the popular protests on this island over the past months.

Prior to the passage of the National Security Act last June, Jimmy Lai stated that he was ready to go to prison, and said that if that happens, "I will have the opportunity to read books that I could not read. The only thing I can do is to be positive."

It is noteworthy that this is not the first time that Jimmy Lai has been arrested, as he was arrested last year for his participation in the protests, and he was also arrested for breaking a ban imposed by the police on the occasion of the revival of the "Tian Anmen events" in the city in June 2019.