Sun An-tso (孫安佐), the son of television celebrities Sun Peng (孫鵬) and Di Ying (狄鶯), was questioned by police yesterday after posting a video on social media showing a homemade flamethrower being tested on a riverbank.
The police’s Beitou Precinct said Sun An-tso and another person involved were detained for questioning early yesterday morning at the direction of the Shilin District Prosecutors’ Office.
The homemade flamethrower, which Sun An-tso said in the video was meant to kill rats, produced large flames, and its proximity to a public road and buildings raised public safety concerns, police said.
Photo: Screengrab from Sun’s Instagram
It said that the area in Beitou District (北投), where the testing was carried out, is surrounded by low trees and bushes, and if fire had broken out, it could have had severe consequences.
Police said the two people would be referred to prosecutors on suspicion of public endangerment and related offences.
Police urged the public not to imitate such behavior, warning that making weapons capable of causing harm is illegal and could cause public panic.
Photo: Chen Yi-chuan, Taipei Times
Sun An-tso, who is in his late 20s, has long been a controversial figure, including during his time studying in the US.
In March 2018, when he had just turned 18, he was arrested and charged with making terroristic threats after he threatened to carry out a mass shooting on May 1 at Bonner and Prendergast Catholic High School in Delaware, Pennsylvania.
He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to up to 23 months in jail, with immediate parole and credit for time served.
He was released into US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody on June 5 the same year and was later charged with the federal offense of being an alien in possession of ammunition.
On Aug. 28, Sun An-tso entered a guilty plea to the federal charge.
The US court also ordered that Sun An-tso be removed from the country and permanently barred him from entering the US.
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