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TAIPEI - MARCH 18 : Taiwanese students enter the Taipei American school on March 18, 2020 in Taipei, Taiwan. Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong have had more successful approaches in battling the pandemic given their experience with SARS in 2003. According to CDC current totals the Coronavirus ( COVID-19) has now affected 235,939 globally, killing 9,874. It has spread to 157 countries.
A 15-year-old student from Taipei American School was recently accused of threatening his schoolmates and saying that he would shoot the entire building.
According to reports, the student, whose name is redacted, wrote a cryptic social media post with a racial slur. It appeared as though the student disliked Black individuals.
In his post, the student also asked his close friends to be absent from school so that they won't be endangered when he pushes through with his plans.
After the threats were made public, the Taipei American School announced that their premises would be closed and all classes would be suspended for an entire day.
Teachers and school personnel weren't also allowed to enter the building on Monday. And at least 30 security staff were deployed around the vicinity to ensure that the shooting wouldn't take place.
Student claims his social media account was hacked
Investigations are still underway, but the student who owns the social media account cried foul following the allegations. He and his mom went to a nearby police station to report the incident and said someone hacked the student's phone.
Authorities learned that several IP addresses were used, and some came from the United States, Europe, and other far-off countries.
It was also confirmed that the social media post was uploaded two months ago. But since one student commented on it, it re-appeared on the platform, and a student reported it to school officials.
Threats are punishable by law in Taiwan
As of press writing, it's still unclear if the 15-year-old student will be charged with endangering his schoolmates. But authorities reminded everyone that any form of threat meant to endanger others, regardless of whether it's written or sent via a photo or email, still constitutes a crime and is therefore punishable by law, according to Taiwan News.
The school's official website announced that classes would officially resume on Tuesday, Dec. 14, even though investigations are ongoing.
"We look forward to welcoming back your students to school tomorrow, Tuesday, Dec. 14, with the reassurance that student safety remains our number one priority," the on tas.edu.tw reads.
Taiwanese exchange student jailed following deadly threats
Taiwan and other countries across the globe take gun violence and racism very seriously. In the United States, a Taiwanese exchange student previously threatened to shoot up his entire school.
According to the Associated Press, Tso Sun brought live ammunition, a military-style ballistic vest, ammunition clip pouches, and a high-powered crossbow to Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast High School on May 1, 2018.
Those close to Sun said that he often had weird ideas. He also loved guns and flamethrowers. One of his dreams is to become a police officer.
During his interrogation, Sun said that his threats were just a joke. However, he was still charged with making terroristic threats. He was detained in a Pennsylvania prison.
Last month, a deadly shooting took place at Oxford High School after one of the students opened fire that killed four students and injured seven others, according to CNN.
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