Man attempts arson inside Ministry of Justice

A man smashed a bottle filled with gasoline at the front desk of the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) building in Taipei to express his dissatisfaction with Minister of Justice Chiu Tai-san (邱太三). (Photo courtesy of CNA)

Taipei, May 31 (CNA) A man smashed a bottle filled with gasoline at the front desk of the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) building in Taipei Thursday.

The attack occurred at around 2:20 p.m. when the man walked into the MOJ building and expressed his dissatisfaction with Minister of Justice Chiu Tai-san (邱太三).

He then set fire to a paper bag and threw it at the front desk and when the flames quickly died out, he smashed the gasoline-filled bottle on the desk and attempted to light it with a cigarette lighter.

The would-be arsonist was stopped by security.


People at the scene said the man was taken away by police, who were trying to investigate the man’s identity and motive.

According to a Liberty Times online report, the man was said to be approximately 40 years of age.

(By Wang Yang-yu and William Yen)