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
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