A picture circulating on social media shows Lam, 19, being escorted away by police

A heavily pregnant teenager in Hong Kong has been arrested while allegedly walking in a mall wearing a black T-shirt - the symbol of anti-government protesters.

The 19-year-old, said to be 31 weeks pregnant, was in a shopping centre in the district of Tuen Mun last night when she was detained, according to local media.

She is under hospital observation.

A total of 77 people have been arrested in the past three days for defying an emergency law banning activists from wearing masks after the city was rocked by violent clashes over the weekend which were sparked by the new legislation.

A picture circulating on social media shows the expectant mother, known by her surname Lam, holding her baby bump with one hand as she was taken away by anti-riot officers.

Lam was arrested for attending an illegal assembly and carrying out criminal damage, according to police.

But local newspaper Ming Pao reported that she was just walking in the shopping centre while wearing a black top at the time of the arrest. The report said she was not wearing a facial mask.

Pro-democracy protesters clash with police during a march in Tuen Mun on September 21. Activists are known for wearing black tops during anti-government demonstrations

Hong Kong was virtually locked down over the weekend as hardcore protesters clashed with police and trashed subway stations to show their opposition to the new law banning masks

The teenager was reportedly taken to Tuen Mun Hospital at the wee hours today to be treated at the prenatal wards, initially guarded by two male officers.

Hong Kong's leader warns of military crackdown from China Hong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam today warned that the Chinese military could step in if the city's unrest 'becomes so bad', but reiterated the government still hopes to resolve the crisis itself. Ms Lam urged foreign critics to accept that the four months of protests marked by escalating violence were no longer 'a peaceful movement for democracy'. She said seeking Chinese intervention was provided for under Hong Kong’s constitution but that she cannot reveal under what circumstances she will do so. Advertisement

Police sent over two female officers to her ward after hospital made a complaint.

According to Apple Daily, the mother-to-be was among seven people arrested in Siu Hong Shopping Centre.

Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam last week invoked a colonial-era emergency law for the first time in more than 50 years to criminalise the wearing of masks at rallies in a bid to curb the city's escalating violence.

The ban, which took effect on Saturday, sparked some of the most violent clashes in four months of demonstrations in the Asian financial hub.

The city was paralysed over the weekend and the metro system entirely shut after activists hurled more dangerous petrol bombs, smashed subway station and vandalised businesses deemed pro-China. Police fired tear gas in multiple locations.

Rampages erupted across the city again last night after hard-line demonstrators protesting against the mask law took to the street for the fourth day.

Another clip released by police shows an officer being struck on the head by a bike thrown from heights during chaos in Tseung Kwan O.

The British governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, has called the new mask law as 'absolutely madness'. He said the city's leader 'would have to be crazy to be making these decisions'

The officer fell to the ground and was escorted to hospital by his colleagues. He was said to sustain injuries on the head and neck.

Onlookers clapped and cheered when the officer was attacked - a sign of a huge divide between the residents and police forces driven by the unrest.

Demonstrators accuse police of using excessive force and have been demanding an independent inquiry, which Lam has refused.

Two teenage protesters, aged 14 and 18, were shot with live rounds last week by police officers during self defence.

Protesters set barricade on fire at a demonstration in Causeway Bay district on Sunday

Protesters are arrested by police during a clash at a demonstration in Wan Chai on Sunday

China to stop showing NBA basketball games over Hong Kong row Chinese state broadcaster CCTV will no longer air two NBA pre-season games set to be played in the country, the station said today. CCTV indicated the decision was prompted by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver's remarks in Japan following a tweet by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey last week that supported anti-government demonstrations in Hong Kong. 'We're strongly dissatisfied and oppose Adam Silver's claim to support Morey's right to freedom of expression,' CCTV said. 'We believe that any remarks that challenge national sovereignty and social stability are not within the scope of freedom of speech.' Morey apologised on Monday for the tweet he swiftly deleted on the weekend. His initial tweet included an image captioned: 'Fight For Freedom. Stand With Hong Kong.' Advertisement

Two people, an 18-year-old university student and a 38-year-old woman, appeared in court on Monday charged with illegally wearing masks, and supporters wore their own face coverings in the courtroom.

They were both charged with unlawful assembly, which carries up to three years' jail time, and with defying the mask ban, which has a maximum one-year sentence. Both were released on bail.

Another 26 people as young as 13 who were arrested on Sunday in Wan Chai district have been charged with rioting and 14 of them additionally in violation of the mask ban.

A total of 77 people have been arrested for defying the ban since it came into place over the weekend, police said, adding that 2,363 people had been arrested overall since June.

Fourteen police officers were hurt in action over the weekend, including one who was besieged and beaten by protesters, who also threw petrol bombs at him.

Nearly 200 firefighters and medical workers today condemned the police's 'escalating violence and abuse of power'. In a joint statement, they said they felt ashamed of working alongside the riot officers.

China has blasted Lord Patten (left), calling him 'stubborn' and 'cold blooded' over his remarks

Police, on the other hand, said they were 'deeply concerned' by the spreading of 'lawlessness'.

They said protesters started to use more dangerous weapons and tactics in different districts of Hong Kong,

The appealed the public to do the right thing to help officers stop 'this madness'.

Lam for the first time warned of military intervention from Beijing after her anti-mask law pushed the city to further chaos.

But she reiterated the government still hoped to resolve the crisis itself.

She also told journalists it was 'too early' to say whether the anti-mask law was effective or not.