Police said yesterday they have made a breakthrough in the investigation into the murder of Taipei County councilor Wu Shan-jeou (
The alleged thief, surnamed Hu (胡), was arrested in Banciao (板橋).
Hu, 24, is alleged to have stolen a scooter on Sanmin Road, Banciao, the day before Wu's murder, and then taken the license plate from a second scooter to switch with the plate on the first one.
Footage from security cameras in Banciao the day before the murder showed Hu stealing the scooter and the license plate, police said.
Wu, a member of the People First Party (PFP), was gunned down in his Sindian (
The man who shot Wu was filmed by security cameras in the area as he rode away on a scooter with the license plate "JBE-706."
"According to security camera footage that we've reviewed, the scooter thief and the murderer are not the same person," Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) Director Huang Mao-sui (黃茂穗) said. "That not much evidence was left behind demonstrates that the gunman is a professional."
Police suspect Wu's murder was arranged by gangsters to protect an extortion racket.
Hu is an ex-convict with a history of drug trafficking.
Police believe he gave the stolen scooter to the killer to use as a getaway vehicle.
Hu yesterday denied knowing the murderer or having any connection to Wu's murder.
The police will continue questioning Hu at the Taipei District Prosecutors Office, Huang said.
In other developments, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) received a death threat letter yesterday that contained a single 5.56mm bullet -- ammunition commonly used in assault rifles.
The letter was sent to her legislative office.
Hung was the eighth lawmaker in recent weeks to receive such a bullet in the mail, the Criminal Investigation Bureau said.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Hsieh Hsin-ni (
Bureau authorities reiterated yesterday that they believe the death threats are the work of one person.
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