A suspect has been identified after two threats to public safety were e-mailed to Taipei Rapid Transit Corp yesterday and on Friday, and police presence on the system has been increased, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said yesterday.
In addition to a bomb threat received on Friday morning via e-mail, the MRT operator also received an e-mail at about 7am yesterday saying that a mass killing would occur on the transit system.
Police have identified a suspect and the public should not be worried, Chiang said.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Chiang yesterday condemned the behavior and said the city has asked the Taipei Police Department and its Rapid Transit Division to increase patrols in the MRT system.
The division yesterday said the two e-mails were tracked to the sender’s Internet protocol address, which was routed through an overseas virtual private network.
A preliminary investigation suggested that the suspect is a Chinese student who had studied in a university in Taiwan and is now outside the country, the division said.
The student had been identified sending six other e-mailed threats to the MRT operator this year, it said.
All the threats have been referred to a prosecutor for investigation, and police are working with the city’s Criminal Investigation Bureau and the Criminal Investigation Corps on the cases, the Rapid Transit Division said.
Taipei City Government spokesperson Lo Wang-zhe (羅旺哲) yesterday said the public should remain aware of their surroundings when taking the MRT, and calmly report suspicious activities, people or objects through emergency intercoms on trains or to station personnel.
Additional reporting by CNA
A domestically developed “suicide drone,” also known as a loitering munition, would be tested and evaluated in July, and could enter mass production next year, Taiwan’s weapons developer said on Wednesday. The yet-to-be-named drone was among nine drone models unveiled by the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) on Tuesday. The drone has been dubbed the “Taiwanese switchblade” by Chinese-language media, due to its similarity to the US-made AeroVironment Switchblade 300, which has been used by Ukraine in counterattacks during Russia’s invasion. It has a range of more than 10km, a flight time of more than 15 minutes, and an electro-optical
GOOD INFLUENCE: Kwan said his mother tutored him at home for a few years, saying that she had to protect his ‘creativity’ as his writing had suffered Director and coproducer of the Oscar-winning absurdist comedy-drama Everything Everywhere All at Once Daniel Kwan (關家永) on Sunday dedicated the movie to his Taiwanese mother, who he said supported his creativity growing up. “She is someone who sacrificed a lot for her kids,” Kwan, 35, said backstage at the Oscars. The movie, released early last year, received a commanding 11 nominations at the Academy Awards, and won seven, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing. Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, with whom he also directed the 2016 fantasy film Swiss Army
HYGIENE KEY: The CDC reported two cases of enterovirus 71, which can cause serious complications, and as there have been no recent outbreaks, children are not immune Two cases of enterovirus 71 (EV71) were reported last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, adding that it was a warning sign, as the virus has not been detected for more than a year. Parents are advised to remind their children to practice good hand hygiene, it said. Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉), director of the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Center, said that 165,230 people visited a hospital for diarrhea last week, which is a high number. Most of the diarrhea case clusters were caused by norovirus infection, but there were also enterovirus cases, and weekly caseloads are slowly increasing, Guo said. Most of
A bipartisan US congressional delegation arrived in Taiwan yesterday on a two-day visit that is to include meetings with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and other senior government officials, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The delegation comprises Republican US representatives and Chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Ken Calvert, Tom Cole, Dave Joyce and Mike Garcia, as well as Democratic US Representative Ed Case, the ministry said in a news release. Upon their arrival at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), the five representatives were welcomed by North American Affairs Department Director-General Douglas Hsu (徐佑典), it said. During their visit, they are to meet