TAIPEI, Taiwan – The suspect involved in the commuter train blast that injured 25 people on the night of Thursday, July 7 confessed on Friday afternoon that he was responsible for the explosion and did not have any accomplices, according to police sources.
Ling Ying-chang (林英昌), the 55-year-old male suspect who was among the 25 victims wounded during the blast, reportedly made the confession when indirectly questioned by the police.
Lin also confirmed evidence that he detonated an explosive device on commuter train 1258’s sixth carriage on Thursday, July 7, two minutes before it was due to arrive at Taipei Songshan Railway Station.
Lin also told the police that his real motive was to achieve “fame.”
Reuters, The China Post/ANN, AFP
Details Still Remain
As Lin, who was seriously injured in the blast, has yet to recover, the police very slowly carried out questioning, with many details remaining to be cleared.
The police started to interrogate Lin at around 3 p.m., Friday, in the presence of prosecutors, but with the entire questioning process recorded and videoed. The suspect was very cooperative in the process, the police said.
According to doctors, Lin is still unable to be discharged from the hospital.
The police will therefore continue to safeguard Lin at the hospital, and will hand the results of the interrogations to prosecutors.
Lin was identified as a key suspect within hours of the explosion, because he was seen nearest to the explosive device at the time of the explosion and his fingerprints were found on the device.
Further evidence later emerged showing that he was responsible for the incident.
Consumer Terrorism
Lin was suspected by investigators to have been planning an earlier act of “consumer terrorism.”
Lin purchased a bottle of Paraquat, a highly toxic weed killer, before heading north to Taipei from central Taoyuan county.
Investigators surmised that he planned to inject the poison into consumer drinks to trigger a public panic.
He also prepared a sharp tool that could easily pierce through a container and inject liquid into the container. The tool helped investigators rule out the possibility that Lin intended to commit suicide by drinking the herbicide.
