Police patrols and security measures were yesterday beefed up throughout the nation’s railway lines and stations after the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) received a bomb threat in the morning.
Railway officials said they received a letter at 9:30am from an anonymous sender saying they had placed plastic explosives on a TRA local train’s No. 5 carriage and on a high-speed train’s No. 17 carriage departing from Taichung, and that the explosives would go off at noon.
The letter demanded that officials call a telephone number and they would be instructed to wire a ransom to a bank account number.
Photo: CNA
Both the TRA and the high-speed rail deployed more personnel at work and police patrols to monitor and check for any unusual situations.
Throughout the searches, only one unattended rucksack was found on a local train, No. 2154, traveling from Chiayi City to Keelung, officials said.
After it was removed from the train, a police bomb squad opened it and found only personal clothing, they said, adding that it might have been left behind by a passenger.
The sender of the bomb threat was likely trying to create fear among the public, the TRA said, adding that it was cooperating with law enforcement agencies to track down the culprit.
Police investigators said it was likely a hoax, as the person said the bomb would be placed on the No. 17 carriage of a high-speed train, which only has 12 carriages.
Public safety is of utmost concern, officials said.
Although the threat has seemingly passed, people should stay vigilant and look out for any unattended bags, as the investigation continues, they said.
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