The government and the military said they are the on alert following an apparent threat the Islamic State (IS) group made through a Twitter post, which featured an illustration of Taipei coming under attack, with the landmark Taipei 101 in flames and several other buildings on fire.
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday said that in the event of an actual attack by the group, the military’s special anti-terrorism units are capable of protecting the nation and its citizens.
“Our military has a number of special operations units that are trained to counter terrorist activities,” ministry spokesperson Major General David Lo (羅紹和) said. “They are fully prepared to take up this task, but the order has to come from the government.”
Screen grab from Twitter
He said the agency in charge is the Executive Yuan’s Homeland Security Office, which will coordinate with other agencies.
The ministry would deploy the anti-terrorism squadron in the Army Aviation Special Forces Command, along with the army’s Altitude Special Service company, two Marine Corps special operations detachment units and one Military Police Special Services Company in the event of an attack.
Lo said the ministry and the National Security Bureau are verifying the authenticity of the threat by the militant group formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant with the help of international communities, and urged the public not to panic.
The tweet from an apparent Islamic State account was posted on Tuesday.
“When Islamic State attack your cities it won’t look nice. By the permission of Allah that day is not far,” user @KhilafahTimes posted in a statement accompanied by a picture of a blazing Taipei 101 and a blackened, smoke-filled cityscape.
Media reports that the Islamic State may be planning an attack on Taipei have stirred up public anxiety and government officials have expressed concern.
Premier Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) yesterday urged the public not to panic, saying the government has activated its response mechanism to prevent any attack.
The national security system is investigating the authenticity of the Twitter post, Mao said.
“We will keep a constant eye on the issue,” he added.
Asked to comment on speculation that Taipei 101 was targeted by the Islamic State because of the aid the government has provided to refugees from Iraq, Syria and other countries displaced by the group’s attacks in the Middle East, Mao said he was not aware of such rumors, but added: “The provision of humanitarian assistance is a universal value.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Taiwan has donated US$7 million to assist refugees in the Middle East through projects carried out in cooperation with the Holy See and non-governmental organizations in recent years.
Taiwan is among 60 coalition partners the US Department of State assembled in October last year to combat the extremist threat.
Representative to the EU Tung Kuo-yu (董國猷) attended the first ministerial-level plenary session for the Global Coalition to Counter the Islamic State held in December last year in Brussels, Belgium, and was among those who signed a joint statement of commitment to defeat the group.
As an international aid provider and peacemaker, the Republic of China has long provided assistance to its allies and nations with which it has good relations whenever humanitarian aid is needed, foreign ministry spokesperson Anna Kao (高安) said.
Asked whether the government has been warned by the US about an attack targeting Taipei 101, Kao said she would not comment on the cooperative exchange of information with a specific nation.
Taipei City Government spokesman Sidney Lin (林鶴明) said that preventing terrorist acts was the responsibility of the central government.
He said it was important to plan for the worst case of any possible disaster and that the city would vigorously respond to any such disaster.
American Institute in Taiwan spokesman Mark Zimmer yesterday said that the US is taking the threat seriously.
The illustration of Taipei 101 in flames was by Belgian digital artist Jonas De Ro; the government is checking whether he has any connection to the Islamic State group. According to Facebook, he visited Taipei this month and posted a photograph of Taipei 101 on Feb. 3.
Additional reporting by Abraham Gerber
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