Taipei police last night nabbed a man who was believed to be the "rice bomber," but the police declined to confirm whether the suspect was indeed the criminal.
"Since the man is still under interrogation, we can't tell whether he is the rice bomber," a police source said.
PHOTO: TAIPEI CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT
According to the source, the man perfectly fits the physical characters shown in the photos released by the police on Wednesday.
The Taipei Police Department's Criminal Investigation Corps (CIC) on Wednesday released a picture of a suspect who could be the notorious "rice bomber," and announced an NT$500,000 reward to anyone who could provide information that leads to the bomber's arrest.
The picture of the suspect was captured from video footage from a security camera at the corner of Taipei City's Zhongshan S Road at 5:17pm on Nov. 11. The police believe that, when the video footage was taken, the suspect must have just finished planting the bomb, which exploded in front of the Ministry of Education the following day.
"We have reviewed all the video footage and talked to all the witnesses who might have seen the suspect before we decided the man in the picture could be him," said Hsu Hung-ping (
In the picture, the man appears to be in his early 20s and approximately 165cm to 170cm tall. Officers said that the suspect would change clothes after he committed a crime, before he left the scene.
"If you have any related information, please call 02-2381-7409, 02-2767-6676, 0910-222-432 or 0931-770-110 to reach the police," Hsu said.
Ever since the rice bomber's first case on Oct. 27 last year, there have been 13 rice-bomber-related cases in the city. The rice bomber has admitted to at least eight of them.
"He always alerts the media and the police every time he commits a crime," Hsu said.
The suspect earned the moniker "rice bomber" because he always leaves behind a letter and a small packet of rice along with the explosive device.
In one letter, the rice bomber claimed that he is a protester who wants to urge the government to stop importing rice and start protecting local rice farmers. The bomber has claimed that the bomb attack on a train from Keelung to Chunan on Feb. 2 was his work, as well as seven attacks in Taipei City since Oct. 27 last year.
The first "rice bomb" was found in Da-an Forest Park on Oct. 27 last year, and another bomb was found on Nov. 13 in one of the park's men's restrooms. On Nov. 22, another bomb was discovered in front of the Ministry of Finance's Financial Data Center.
On Dec. 2, a fourth bomb was discovered in the MRT's Guting Station, while on Dec. 10 and Dec. 23 two more bombs appeared in Taipei's Hsinsheng and Yucheng parks.
However, none of the "rice bombs" -- including the bombs that actually exploded -- have injured anyone.
TAIWAN IS TAIWAN: US Representative Tom Tiffany said the amendment was not controversial, as ‘Taiwan is not — nor has it ever been — part of Communist China’ The US House of Representatives on Friday passed an amendment banning the US Department of Defense from creating, buying or displaying any map that shows Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The “Honest Maps” amendment was approved in a voice vote on Friday as part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for the 2026 fiscal year. The amendment prohibits using any funds from the act to create, buy or display maps that show Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu, Wuciou (烏坵), Green Island (綠島) or Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) as part of the PRC. The act includes US$831.5 billion in
‘WORLD WAR III’: Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said the aid would inflame tensions, but her amendment was rejected 421 votes against six The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal 2026, which includes US$500 million for Taiwan. The bill, which totals US$831.5 billion in discretionary spending, passed in a 221-209 vote. According to the bill, the funds for Taiwan would be administered by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency and would remain available through Sept. 30, 2027, for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The legislation authorizes the US Secretary of Defense, with the agreement of the US Secretary of State, to use the funds to assist Taiwan in procuring defense articles and services, and military training. Republican Representative
Taiwan is hosting the International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) for the first time, welcoming more than 400 young linguists from 43 nations to National Taiwan University (NTU). Deputy Minister of Education Chu Chun-chang (朱俊彰) said at the opening ceremony yesterday that language passes down knowledge and culture, and influences the way humankind thinks and understands the world. Taiwan is a multicultural and multilingual nation, with Mandarin Chinese, Taiwanese, Hakka, 16 indigenous languages and Taiwan Sign Language all used, Chu said. In addition, Taiwan promotes multilingual education, emphasizes the cultural significance of languages and supports the international mother language movement, he said. Taiwan has long participated
Taiwan must invest in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to keep abreast of the next technological leap toward automation, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said at the luanch ceremony of Taiwan AI and Robots Alliance yesterday. The world is on the cusp of a new industrial revolution centered on AI and robotics, which would likely lead to a thorough transformation of human society, she told an event marking the establishment of a national AI and robotics alliance in Taipei. The arrival of the next industrial revolution could be a matter of years, she said. The pace of automation in the global economy can