A Taiwanese court cleared a man who posted online threats to kill President Lai Ching-te and his family, a ruling that alarms prosecutors and breaks with how similar cases have been handled.

• A man surnamed Huang posted on Threads earlier this year that he wanted to kill Lai, his whole family, and "Bluebirds," a term tied to pro-government protesters.
• The Changhua District Court found him not guilty, reasoning he wrote on his own account, never notified the targets, and no proof showed anyone felt afraid.
• The judge also decided "Bluebird" here meant one specific user, not a political group, so the public-intimidation charge did not fit.
• Prosecutors are appealing, arguing that an attack on the president could kill or injure many people and that such posts spread public fear on their own.
• Courts in Taipei and Tainan jailed two men for two months each over near-identical posts last year, making this ruling an outlier.

Outlook: The appeal will test whether online death threats against Taiwan's president count as crimes when no victim reports feeling threatened.