A Chinese national has been identified as the person who sent a series of bomb threats to Taiwanese officials over the past few months, the Criminal Investigation Bureau said yesterday.
Although the person used a virtual private network (VPN) to mask their online trail, the High-tech Crime Center identified an IP address in Xian in China’s Shaanxi Province, center chief Rufus Lin (林建隆) said.
“The perpetrator at various times used VPN servers in Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the US and China to make it appear as though their IP address was in those countries,” Lin said.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Since October last year, the perpetrator has targeted ministries, elected representatives, transportation hubs and tourist sites in Taiwan with e-mailed bomb threats or threats of violence against the recipients, he said.
At least seven legislators from the Democratic Progressive Party and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) received the e-mails, he said.
“The perpetrator spoofed the identities of Taiwanese politicians, ministers or other prominent personalities in the ‘from’ field of the e-mails to boost the chances that they would be opened,” Lin said, adding that they mainly used Gmail and Outlook accounts.
“Our investigators traced the perpetrator’s digital footprint through analysis of their e-mail usage, social media accounts and browsing history,” he said.
“We compared VPN usage, and recurrent word and sentence patterns to conclude with high certainty that the e-mailed threats were all from the same person,” he added.
This was criminal action aimed at instilling fear and anxiety in society, Lin said, adding that the bureau has contacted Chinese authorities to help with the case according to the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement (兩岸共同打擊犯罪及司法互助協議).
Bureau officials said that bomb squads swiftly coordinated with police investigators and forensic experts to sweep areas that were targeted in the e-mails, while police patrols were enhanced.
“Up to now, we have not found find any explosives or suspicious items in these places,” the officials said. “We can assure the general safety of the people who were targeted, as well as the public.”
“There is no need to fear,” they said.
Separately, Minister of the Interior Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) told lawmakers that Taiwan is a democratic country with rule of law, and it would not permit threats of harm against its elected officials.
“Police agencies have boosted security work to protect legislators and ensure their personal safety, including in the legislature and their offices,” he said at the legislature in Taipei.
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to start construction of its 1.4-nanometer chip manufacturing facilities at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP, 中部科學園區) as early as October, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday, citing the park administration. TSMC acquired land for the second phase of the park’s expansion in Taichung in June. Large cement, construction and facility engineering companies in central Taiwan have reportedly been receiving bids for TSMC-related projects, the report said. Supply-chain firms estimated that the business opportunities for engineering, equipment and materials supply, and back-end packaging and testing could reach as high as
ALL QUIET: The Philippine foreign secretary told senators she would not respond to questions about whether Lin Chia-lung was in the country The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday confirmed that a business delegation is visiting the Philippines, but declined to say whether Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) is part of the group, as Philippine lawmakers raised questions over Lin’s reported visit. The group is being led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Huang Chao-chin (黃昭欽), Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA) chairman Joseph Lyu (呂桔誠) and US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) vice president Lotta Danielsson, the ministry said in a statement. However, sources speaking on condition of anonymity said that Lin is leading the delegation of 70 people. Filinvest New Clark City Innovation Park
TPP RALLY: The clashes occurred near the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall on Saturday at a rally to mark the anniversary of a raid on former TPP chairman Ko Wen-je People who clashed with police at a Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) rally in Taipei on Saturday would be referred to prosecutors for investigation, said the Ministry of the Interior, which oversees the National Police Agency. Taipei police had collected evidence of obstruction of public officials and coercion by “disorderly” demonstrators, as well as contraventions of the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法), the ministry said in a statement on Sunday. It added that amid the “severe pushing and jostling” by some demonstrators, eight police officers were injured, including one who was sent to hospital after losing consciousness, allegedly due to heat stroke. The Taipei
RSS