Dozens injured in Taiwan train bombing
July 8, 2016
Taiwanese authorities apprehended a 55-year-old man suspected of placing a bomb on a commuter train, state-run media said on Friday.
The man, identified by police as Lin Ying-chang, has been taken to a hospital, where he appears to be in critical condition.
Local television stations broadcast images of people with bandages on burned limbs being taken to the hospital.
At least 25 passengers, 11 women and 14 men, suffered injuries from the explosion on the train minutes before entering the capital's Songshan Station late Thursday evening.
Five of the injured were in critical condition, the National Police Agency said.
Taiwanese Prime Minister Lin Chuan condemned the attack in a televised statement, describing it as an "act of malice."
A 47-centimeter (18.5 inches) steel pipe packed with explosive material appeared to be the cause of the blast, police said.
'Full investigation'
"We are currently conducting a full investigation," the national police's Taipei chief Wang Pao-chang said in a statement.
Wang added that authorities have "ruled out terror" as the motive behind the attack, adding that no group has claimed responsibility.
In 2014, a college student killed four people when he went on a stabbing spree, marking the last major attack on the capital's public transport system.
The tragedy shocked Taiwan, prompting authorities to overhaul security in public spaces.
ls/sms (dpa, AFP, Reuters, AP)