Court approves detention of man who held intern at knifepoint at airport

Taipei, Sept. 13 (CNA) The Taoyuan District Court on Sunday approved the incommunicado detention of a man who allegedly held an airline intern at knifepoint at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport a day earlier, following a request from the Taoyuan District Prosecutors' Office.

The suspect, surnamed Tsai (蔡), was ordered detained for two months from Sunday after prosecutors sought his detention on suspicion of assault, deprivation of personal liberty with a weapon, coercion and an offense against public safety.

Statements from the victim and witnesses, as well as body-camera and surveillance footage and photographs of the victim's injuries, provided sufficient grounds to suspect him of multiple offenses, the court said.

The court said Tsai has no permanent residence or contact phone number and that his wife and children live in Hong Kong, making him a flight risk. It also cited concerns that he could collude with witnesses.

Aviation police said they received a report at around 5:25 p.m. about a man wielding a knife and confronting someone in the Cathay Pacific Airways staff lounge in Terminal 1. Officers were dispatched to the scene and subdued Tsai at 5:58 p.m. using pepper spray, Tasers and police batons.

Tsai sustained only superficial injuries, while several police officers were injured. The man held at knifepoint, a Cathay Pacific intern surnamed Huang (黃), sustained lacerations to his right hand and abdomen, police said.

Police said Sunday that, in addition to confiscating the knife, they found a bag containing drug residue and drug paraphernalia after subduing Tsai. Tests are being conducted to determine whether he had taken drugs.

Because nighttime interrogation is prohibited, police continued their investigation Sunday morning before transferring Tsai to the prosecutors' office at around 1 p.m.

According to sources, Tsai is struggling financially and is estranged from his wife and children. He had planned to visit them in Hong Kong, but after arriving at the airport, he learned that his wife had not purchased a flight ticket for him, triggering an emotional outburst, the sources said.

Lu Yen-liang (盧衍良), chair of Chaoyang University of Technology's Department of Aviation Technology, where Huang is a student, spoke to the media on Huang's behalf to spare him further trauma and stress.

Lu said the attack appeared to have been random, as Huang did not know Tsai and the two had not argued at the ticket counter.

Huang had just changed out of his uniform in the staff lounge after finishing his shift and was scrolling on his mobile phone when Tsai barged into the lounge after following another employee through the access control gate, Lu said.

Huang remained calm during the encounter and tried to disarm Tsai when the suspect became more agitated and was distracted by police preparing to enter the lounge, Lu said.

Huang sustained a laceration to his hand and a 20-centimeter long laceration to his right abdomen, though fortunately the wound was not deep, Lu said.

Lu said the school immediately activated its emergency response procedures, sending two faculty members to visit Huang and contacting his parents.

The school said it would cooperate with Cathay Pacific to provide Huang with any counseling and psychological support he might need.

Cathay Pacific said Saturday that it was concerned about Huang's condition and would provide any necessary assistance while fully cooperating with the police investigation.