Beijing’s security agency in Hong Kong has summoned top international media to warn them against "trouble-making" after critical reports on a deadly apartment fire. Senior reporters from outlets like the New York Times and Agence France-Presse were called to the Office for Safeguarding National Security (OSNS), set up by Beijing in 2020. An official accused journalists of "tainting the government" but gave no specific examples and refused questions. The OSNS posted a statement accusing foreign media of "disregarding facts, spreading false information, distorting and smearing the government’s disaster relief and aftermath work." The fire on 26 November at the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex killed at least 159 people, making it Hong Kong’s worst disaster in 75 years and the deadliest residential fire worldwide since 1980. The large complex housed nearly 5,000 people and was undergoing renovations with flammable materials, sparking public anger. The OSNS warned journalists to "not cross the legal red line" and said, "The office will not tolerate the actions of all anti-China and trouble-making elements in Hong Kong. Don’t say we didn’t warn you." Hong Kong, returned from the UK to China in 1997, has seen freedoms shrink under a sweeping 2020 national security law. The OSNS also accused some media of "attacking and interfering with" Hong Kong’s legislative election happening Sunday. The revamped system allows only pro-China "patriots" to hold office.