A violent attacker brought panic to Taipei on Friday evening, as he used smoke bombs and a knife to kill three people and injure nine others across two busy metro stations in Taiwan’s capital.
The 27-year-old Taiwanese man, Chang Wen-hsuan, started his assault at Taipei Main Station around 5:20pm local time, which is 9:20am GMT. This hub connects to a thriving underground shopping arcade during the evening rush. Premier Cho Jung-tai explained that Chang threw smoke bombs and lit Molotov cocktails there.
Videos on social media showed the horror. A man in a baseball cap and black clothes tossed canisters over a crowded road full of cars. He then walked with a large knife, stabbing people as he went.
A 37-year-old bystander tried to stop him. The attacker hit him with a blunt object. That man died later at National Taiwan University Hospital, according to Central News Agency reports.
Chang fled through the underground mall about 800 metres to Zhongshan Station in the Xinyi shopping area. He stopped at his hotel to get another knife. Back on the street, he set off more smoke bombs and stabbed victims, including a woman in her 50s and a teenage boy, as noted in police reports cited by Reuters.
He hid in a nearby bookshop and department store. Police surrounded the building. Chang fell from a fifth-floor ledge and died soon after in hospital.
Taiwan boasts low violent crime rates, with homicides at just 0.8 per 100,000 people in 2023. Such public attacks remain rare. The last major one happened in 2014, when a man killed eight on a Taipei Metro train before taking his own life.
Cho ordered extra security at metro stations, railways, and airports.
“We will investigate [the suspect’s] background and associated relationships to understand his motives and determine if there are other connected factors,” the Taiwanese premier was quoted by news agency Reuters as saying.
President Lai Ching-te promised a quick probe through the National Police Agency. Local outlets like Liberty Times reported Chang’s past: a 2022 assault conviction and an arrest warrant for fraud. No links to terrorism or mental illness have emerged yet.
Transport services restarted quickly with bag checks and more cameras. Health officials called for better mental health support amid rising youth suicides, though none ties to this case.
The incident highlights risks even in safe cities as probes continue.