28 July 2015
Chaozhou, PRC (UPI)
Nearly 30 workers at a research & development laboratory owned by GUI Microsystems were murdered by a deliberate attack of sarin gas earlier today. The attack was not an act of terrorism, but appears to be perpetrated by Tai Jianguo, the 26-year-old son of the microchip giant's CEO, Tai Qiang.
According to one worker who was present nearby, security alarms went off at approximately 9:15 AM. Through the glass looking into Lab 7—a level 3 clean room where chip prototypes are assembled—the victims were first seen, sprawled lifeless throughout the lab. Sarin, or GB, is one of the most lethal nerve agents on earth, causing death within 1 to 10 minutes of exposure.
Also seen was the body of Tai Jianguo, although it is not believed he was a victim of the sarin attack. A gas mask was found at his side and his throat was fatally cut, a wound that appears to be self-inflicted, which has led to speculation that Jianguo himself perpetrated the attack.
One eyewitness to the last moments of the incident said that Jianguo was alive inside the sealed lab wearing the gas mask. He then stripped off the maks and appeared to deliver a statement directed at security cameras before he took his own life.
The company issued the following statement several hours later: “The leadership and employees are equally appalled at the barbarous attack that took the lives of our staff members today. We will offer no comment as to the motive or identity of the perpetrator until a proper investigation by law enforcement has been completed.
GUI Microsystems, founded in 1973, is one of the world's largest maker of microchips in the world. GUI chips are
used somewhere within nearly 70% of the world's desktop computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones.
CEO Tai Qiang, the father of the alleged attacker, has refused multiple requests for comment from news organizations around the world.
Tai Jianguo was considered a rising star within the company. Having graduated with honors from MIT in the United States, he was a leading member of the design team behind GUI's latest flagship product, the D9 microprocessor, which set new speed benchmarks when it was released just three months ago. Jianguo's brilliant engineering skills effectively silenced any cries of nepotism on the part of his father. But there have also been rumors of increasingly erratic and bizarre behavior by Jianguo, and some have said that he has been on leave from the company for several months.
A motive for the killings remains a mystery as GUI has refused to release the security camera recordings. However, Jianguo's behavior points to a clearly premeditated and perhaps ritualistic act. The photo above, a grainy screen-capture from the security footage, was leaked by an anonymous employee whose identity remains unknown.