TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A day after it received bomb threats, the National Palace Museum on Monday (May 8) received another message from an anonymous sender threatening to randomly kill people and throw Molotov cocktails at crowds.
The National Palace Museum on Sunday (May 7) received a message in which the sender claimed to have planted five remote-controlled bombs in both the Taipei and Southern branches. However, after a day of searching on Monday, the police did not find any explosives in either location.
UDN reported that on Monday evening at around 9 p.m., however, the museum received another threatening message. The sender detailed plans to randomly kill people and throw Molotov cocktails at crowds at the museum on Tuesday (May 9) at 11 a.m.
The museum immediately notified authorities and launched a series of emergency measures, strengthening security checks and deploying extra guards at the entrance to conduct searches. The police were asked to help with security reinforcements around the museum. The frequency and length of police dog patrols at the museum has also increased.
Additionally, the museum’s Taipei Branch moved its security check point, where visitors’ belongings are checked, from the ticket gate to the main entrance. The Southern Branch also checked visitors’ belongings in addition to having them walk through security gates.
The museum apologized to visitors for the inconvenience and condemned the anonymous sender for attempting to harm the public or damage relics through threats.