Kaohsiung police are tracing a copycat threat made on social media after Friday’s deadly knife attack in Taipei that killed three people and injured 11.
A user on Threads on Friday wrote that the suspect in the Taipei Main Station attack was his “brother” and that they belonged to the same organization, the Kaohsiung Precinct of the Railway Police Bureau said.
They threatened to continue what the suspect had “failed to complete,” warning that Kaohsiung Station would be the next target, the bureau said yesterday, adding that the user also said they would “reshape a dysfunctional society.”
Photo courtesy of the Kaohsiung City Government
The threat is being investigated and Kaohsiung’s Criminal Investigation Corps is racing to trace the source of the post, the bureau said.
The threat was posted hours after an attack on Friday evening in Taipei Main Station and the nearby Zhongshan MRT Station. The suspect, Chang Wen (張文), 27, threw smoke grenades and randomly attacked people with a knife near the two metro hubs, killing three people and injuring several others before apparently jumping to his death from a multistory building, police said.
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said the authorities have already obtained the Threads user’s IP addresses and are in close contact with the National Police Agency (NPA) and other national security units.
The account is overseas and all the IP addresses are being monitored, Chen said.
An initial screening identified six IP addresses, but one has been ruled out, he said, adding that police would vigorously pursue people who pose a threat to public order and bring them to justice.
The city also would step up security at its railway, metro and high-speed rail stations, Chen said.
Additional reporting by Wang Jung-hsiang
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