Lawmakers concerned about Taipei attack 'copycat' threats

Taipei, Dec. 31 (CNA) Cross-party lawmakers on Wednesday expressed concern over possible copycat incidents following a fatal stabbing attack in Taipei earlier this month, as police and prosecutors detailed efforts to counter online misinformation, threats and imitation during a Legislative Yuan committee session.

Liao Tsung-hung (廖宗宏), a chief administrator at the National Police Agency's Criminal Investigation Bureau, said the bureau had so far investigated 118 reported cases since the fatal attack and have uncovered 23 potential cases of criminality involving 22 suspects.

Liao said police set up a task force following the incident, in which a 27-year-old Taiwanese man set off smoke bombs and stabbed random passersby in central Taipei on Dec. 19, resulting in four dead, including the attacker.

Police are compiling data on online attacks and false statements on a daily basis while continuing to coordinate investigations with local police departments, Liao said.

"If someone is found spreading large amounts of false information, we will immediately notify local police departments and relevant agencies to handle the matter," Liao said.

The remarks were made at a meeting of the Legislative Yuan Judiciary and Organic Laws Committee, which convened to hear reports from the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and other agencies on the prevention of indiscriminate attacks and a review of sentencing.

Kuomintang (KMT) lawmaker Lin Chien-chi (林倩綺) said that after the attack, unverified information circulated on social media platforms, including claims about the suspect's family background, nationality, identity and alleged foreign infiltration, none of which were confirmed by police.

Lin said "many information warfare operations" start from "uncontrolled speech" and exploit opportunities created by major public security incidents to amplify preexisting social antagonisms.

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She said much of the post-incident content "clearly involved false information and malicious intent," and asked what countermeasures police were currently taking in response.

Taiwan's Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien (鄭銘謙) meanwhile said that from the time of the incident through Tuesday, prosecutors had handled 40 cases involving 38 individuals, resulting in five indictments so far.

Cheng said authorities had filed 18 detention requests, resulting in 13 people being held in custody, nine released on bail and one temporarily placed in a psychiatric hospital or other medical facility.

Response and monitoring teams were "fully engaged in cracking down on copycat effects" and also implemented care mechanisms for victims, he added.

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Executive Yuan Office of Homeland Security advisor Liu Chen-an (劉振安) said the office would continue to oversee relevant agencies in carrying out early warning and follow-up measures in response to potential copycat risks.

Separately, Democratic Progressive Party legislator Wu Szu-yao (吳思瑤) said her email account was impersonated in October, when threats were made to launch a National Day attack, and again this month, when threats of indiscriminate attacks were made six times between Dec. 22 and Tuesday.

Wu said Taipei's Beitou District was also mentioned following December's attack and is currently "on alert," adding that police previously traced IP addresses to Vietnam.

Liao said the cases are still under investigation and that police will issue follow-up reports.