The Taipei Police Department yesterday arrested a 54-year-old man surnamed Chang (張) for allegedly firing three gunshots at the Ministry of Digital Affairs in Taipei.
No one was injured in the shooting.
The incident nonetheless caused a security scare as the building is only about 750m from the Presidential Office Building.
Photo: CNA
Based on surveillance camera footage and witness descriptions, Chang walked into the ministry through the main entrance carrying a backpack and a shotgun. A pistol was also found later.
When a security guard stopped him, Chang reportedly made comments critical of the government and fired a shot at a wall.
He fired a second shot at a and a third at an automatic door at the entrance, witnesses said.
Photo: CNA
Chang did not attempt to flee after firing, witnesses said.
When police officers arrived, Chang walked out of the building, dropped the gun and backpack, squatted and held his head in his hands as he was arrested, witnesses said.
A preliminary investigation found that Chang operates a bed-and-breakfast near Cingjing Farm (清靜農場) in Nantou County’s Renai Township (仁愛).
Chang wrote on Facebook shortly before the incident that he is not affiliated with any political party, but he hated the Democratic Progressive Party “to the guts” for blocking imports of COVID-19 vaccines and favoring Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp (高端疫苗).
No judicial officials are investigating the corruption cases and scandals are piling up in this government, he wrote.
Some news media are turning into assassins of the ruling party, spreading rumors and telling people to hate China, he wrote.
“Why do we have to hate China? Americans have been sucking our blood, yet we are still busy currying favor with them,” he wrote. “And what has the ministry done for Taiwan? All it does is promote what this incompetent government has done and feel good about itself.”
Chang attributed Taiwan Power Co’s (台電) financial woes to the government’s green energy policy, adding that ordinary Taiwanese have to foot the bill.
Police recovered a shotgun and a pistol, as well as five shotgun shells and two pistol magazines.
Police officials said that an investigation has been launched into Chang’s political background and whether he had accomplices.
Chang told police officers that he purchased the guns via an online advertisement, a claim they said was being assessed.
Chang faces possible charges of contravening the Controlling Guns, Ammunition and Knives Act (槍砲彈藥刀械管制條例) and the Criminal Code, police said.
NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT: An official said that Guan Guan’s comments had gone beyond the threshold of free speech, as she advocated for the destruction of the ROC China-born media influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China content that threatens national security, the National Immigration Agency said yesterday. Guan Guan has said many controversial things in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” while expressing hope for expedited “reunification.” The agency received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification last year. After investigating, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and account for her actions. Guan Guan appeared as required,
A strong cold air mass is expected to arrive tonight, bringing a change in weather and a drop in temperature, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The coldest time would be early on Thursday morning, with temperatures in some areas dipping as low as 8°C, it said. Daytime highs yesterday were 22°C to 24°C in northern and eastern Taiwan, and about 25°C to 28°C in the central and southern regions, it said. However, nighttime lows would dip to about 15°C to 16°C in central and northern Taiwan as well as the northeast, and 17°C to 19°C elsewhere, it said. Tropical Storm Nokaen, currently
‘NATO-PLUS’: ‘Our strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific are facing increasing aggression by the Chinese Communist Party,’ US Representative Rob Wittman said The US House of Representatives on Monday released its version of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which includes US$1.15 billion to support security cooperation with Taiwan. The omnibus act, covering US$1.2 trillion of spending, allocates US$1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative, as well as US$150 million for the replacement of defense articles and reimbursement of defense services provided to Taiwan. The fund allocations were based on the US National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2026 that was passed by the US Congress last month and authorized up to US$1 billion to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency in support of the
PAPERS, PLEASE: The gang exploited the high value of the passports, selling them at inflated prices to Chinese buyers, who would treat them as ‘invisibility cloaks’ The Yilan District Court has handed four members of a syndicate prison terms ranging from one year and two months to two years and two months for their involvement in a scheme to purchase Taiwanese passports and resell them abroad at a massive markup. A Chinese human smuggling syndicate purchased Taiwanese passports through local criminal networks, exploiting the passports’ visa-free travel privileges to turn a profit of more than 20 times the original price, the court said. Such criminal organizations enable people to impersonate Taiwanese when entering and exiting Taiwan and other countries, undermining social order and the credibility of the nation’s
RSS