The man who allegedly made the suitcase explosive devices that were planted on a moving high-speed train and outside a legislator’s office said yesterday that it was the “poor state of society” that prompted him to make the devices.
During questioning at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office, Hu Tsung-hsien (胡宗賢) admitted to making the devices, but contended that they would not have exploded, investigators said.
They quoted Hu as saying that the bombs were only meant to “scare” the public and that he did not have specific targets.
Photo: CNA
One of the devices was planted in a toilet on a high-speed train bound for Taipei and the other was left outside Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lu Chia-chen’s (盧嘉辰) office in Tucheng District (土城), New Taipei City (新北市).
Chu Ya-tung (朱亞東), a suspected accomplice in the failed bombing attempts, told the investigators that he was paid by Hu to purchase the suitcases and later left them at locations that Hu designated.
Hu also directed him to purchase a silver Mitsubishi minivan that was registered to another individual, surnamed Lai (賴), Chu said.
The vehicle was then used to transport the explosives.
Chu said he did not know there were explosives in the suitcases.
He said he “felt weird” after leaving the suitcases on the high-speed train and that he stumbled when putting the other two suitcases outside the legislator’s office because he panicked.
Investigators added that Hu, a lawyer, and Chu, a taxi driver, had some kind of employer-employee relationship.
They said Chu had borrowed money from Hu from time to time and that before the bombing attempts, Hu had promised Chu more than NT$100,000 (US$3,350) per month if Chu would work for him.
The two men, both in their 40s, fled to China’s Guangdong Province on Friday on one-way tickets soon after allegedly planting the devices. Hu also took with him more than NT$1 million in cash, the investigators said.
They were repatriated to Taiwan on Tuesday with the help of the Chinese authorities and held incommunicado.
Fang Nan-shan (方南山), Hu’s lawyer, said that he would appeal against the incommunicado ruling.
Fang said his client had answered all the questions put to him and there would be no risk of him colluding on testimony if he was released on bail.
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of the nation’s National Climate Change Committee, said yesterday that “electrical power is national power” and nuclear energy is “very important to Taiwan.” Tung made the remarks, suggesting that his views do not align with the country’s current official policy of phasing out nuclear energy, at a forum organized by the Taiwan People’s Party titled “Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan’s AI Industry and Energy Policy.” “Taiwan is currently pursuing industries with high added- value and is developing vigorously, and this all requires electricity,” said the chairman
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) is to begin his one-year alternative military service tomorrow amid ongoing legal issues, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. Wang, who last month was released on bail of NT$150,000 (US$4,561) as he faces charges of allegedly attempting to evade military service and forging documents, has been ordered to report to Taipei Railway Station at 9am tomorrow, the Alternative Military Service Training and Management Center said. The 33-year-old would join about 1,300 other conscripts in the 263rd cohort of general alternative service for training at the Chenggong Ling camp in Taichung, a center official told reporters. Wang would first
RSS