TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A man was arrested Friday afternoon (March 12) in Taichung for making murder threats at a Taipei MRT station and warning he would bomb Taichung City Government.

At 11:15 a.m. on Friday, Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC) received an anonymous email suggesting that a murder would soon take place at Guting Station in the capital's Zhongzheng District. The message prompted city police to dispatch officers to each station and launch an investigation.

Meanwhile, the 1999 Call Center of Taichung City Government also received a call from a man threatening to plant explosives in the city government building. The man also sent photos of firearms to the internet version of the hotline.

After tracing the IP address used to send the threatening email, the police were able to locate a suspect at 4 p.m. Friday in Taichung's Dali District. The man, surnamed Lee (李), initially denied his involvement but later confessed to sending the death threats after messages and photos sent to TRTC and the Taichung City Government were found on his cell phone.

Lee told police that he did not intend to carry out any of the threats and that the firearms in the photos he sent out were actually toys. He said he was under a lot of pressure after being laid off from his job 10 days previous.

The police said further investigation is necessary to determine whether Lee was telling the truth. They said he would be charged for public intimidation, which could result in a maximum prison sentence of two years.