A man who detonated a bomb at a parking lot at TSMC's facilities in Taiwan has been sentenced to more than nine years in prison. The individual was sentenced by a court in Hsinchu, where TSMC's headquarters are also located. His attack led to a co-worker being seriously injured, with a damaged jaw and an amputated finger being among the worst injuries. The attacker did not work at TSMC and was an employee of a company that the Taiwanese chipmaker outsources its operations to. His sentencing covers several charges, including bomb manufacturing with an intent to harm others, and the decision can be appealed.
Workplace Friction Leads Man To Strict Prison Sentence After Explosion In TSMC Parking Lot
According to details of the incident sourced from UDN, two men working for a TSMC outsourcer at the firm's Fab 12 in Hsinchu, Taiwan. TSMC has several facilities in Hsinchu, and two of these are Fabs 12A and 12B. The workers worked at plant P8 at this fab. The attacker, called Lai was irritated that his co worker Chen was ignoring him at work. This infuriated Lai who then made a plan to attack Chen at the parking lot of TSMC's Fab 12.
The incident took place on January 14th last year, and it involved Lai placing a bomb in the parking lot and waiting to set it off as Chen arrived. His plan was quite meticulous, and it involved him reaching the parking site hours before workers got off at 5 p.m. local time. He then placed a bomb inside the carriage basket of Chen's motorcycle and waited for his victim to arrive.
After Chen got off from work and tried to drive his motorcycle, Lai, who was watching him from a distance, sensed an opportunity and proceeded to detonate the bomb. Chen was not alone in the parking lot, and others who were with him also suffered damages.
The blast caused injuries to Chen's chest and abdomen, with serious damage to his chin from the debris. It also caused the little finger on his right hand to be eliminated at the second joint, and other workers with him saw their clothes damaged, with one losing an iPhone. After the explosion, local police started investigating and discovered bomb manufacturing devices such as ignitors and remote controllers.
Further investigation that covered Lai's hometown also revealed gunpowder rolled in a graduation certificate along with other materials needed to manufacture homemade explosives. After his arrest, Lai admitted that he had set off the bomb and attributed his decision to an argument that he and Chen had in the workplace. It involved Chen scolding him, with Lai believing that while his hard work was not appreciated, any mistakes would be quick to receive a scolding. In response, Chen outlined that he believes Lai was simply being lazy at work.
Coverage of the prosecution suggests that Lai was able to avoid an attempted murder charge since he did not have an adequate motive to kill Chen and the injuries received by the latter were not dehibiliating or life threatening. As a result of his conviction, Lai will be unable to hold public office for seven years and his sentence requires him to serve nine years and eight months in jail.
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