A man seized by protesters at Hong Kong’s airport and tied to a luggage cart has been identified as a reporter for a mainland China newspaper, the publication’s editor-in-chief said.

“Fu Guohao, reporter of GT website is being seized by demonstrators at HK airport. I affirm this man being tied in this video is the reporter himself. He has no other task except for reporting,” tweeted Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the Global Times.

“I sincerely ask the demonstrators to release him,” he added.

Protesters shouted “gangster” at the man, who was wearing a yellow high-visibility vest, and demanded to see his press credentials, according to CNN, which cited its Hong Kong affiliate iCable.

They pinned him to the floor, seized his belongings and draped an “I love HK Police” T-shirt over him, apparently believing he was an undercover cop from China, according to local reports.

The Global Times tabloid is published by the Communist Party’s People’s Daily.