May 14 (Bloomberg) -- Taiwan police arrested a bar operator who may have been involved in the March 19 shooting of President Chen Shui-bian, 24-hour news channel ETTV reported.

The man, arrested in the southern city of Kaohsiung, was found in possession of a gun that matched the one that may have wounded Chen as he was campaigning in his hometown of Tainan, the report said.

The unidentified man also is a probable dealer of the drug ecstasy, it said. Kaohsiung is about a 40-minute plane ride from Tainan. Police will hold a briefing today about the arrest, ETTV said.

Another two suspects were also detained along with the bar operator, who were believed to have connections with him.

"The people who go to the pub are shady, and we suspected he (the owner) was selling drugs and he had guns," said Wang, of the Criminal Investigation Corps in the southern port city of Kaohsiung.

"After the shooting, the three left Tainan and came down here to Kaohsiung," Wang said. He said the gun and bullets found in the home were sent to a lab for testing.

The president's stomach was grazed in the shooting, and his running mate, Vice President Annette Lu, was hit in the knee.

The losing candidate, Lien Chan, has suggested that the shooting might have been staged, and he has said he won't accept the election results until the attack is explained.

(SINA English)