A man armed with knives and smoke grenades launched a series of attacks in central Taipei on Friday evening, killing at least three people and injuring nine others before falling to his death from a department store, authorities said.
The suspect, identified by police as 27-year-old Chang Wen, was pronounced dead at a hospital after he jumped from the sixth floor of a commercial building, Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported.
The violence began near an underground exit of Taipei Main Station, one of the city’s busiest transit hubs, where Chang threw smoke grenades that sent commuters fleeing before attacking passersby with a sharp object, the news agency said, citing police. Surveillance footage aired by local television networks showed a man dressed in black and wearing a gas mask deploying smoke devices amid evening crowds.
After fleeing the station area, Chang traveled north through underground passages and briefly stopped at a hotel, where police said he retrieved additional edged weapons. He later resurfaced near Zhongshan metro station and entered the Eslite Spectrum Nanxi department store, a popular shopping destination, where he continued the assault on multiple floors.
Police said Chang stabbed victims primarily in the neck on the first and fourth floors of the store. Officers later recovered weapons at both his rental residence in Taipei and the hotel room where he had stayed for several nights, according to Central News Agency.
Local hospitals confirmed three deaths resulting from the attacks. Taipei city officials said nine other people were hospitalized, including one in serious condition.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an told local media that a 57-year-old man attempted to stop the suspect at the metro station exit and was fatally wounded. National Taiwan University Hospital said the man suffered a penetrating injury approximately five centimeters long that pierced the right lung and reached the heart’s left atrium.
Taipei Metro said one of its staff members was hospitalized after inhaling heavy smoke while responding to the incident.
Another man died after being attacked near the department store, EBC News reported. A woman injured outside the shopping complex told the broadcaster she was struck while waiting to meet her daughter for dinner.
“It didn’t feel like a slash at first — more like being hit,” she said. “Then the pain came, and I saw people on the ground bleeding and needing help.”
Police said they are still examining Chang’s motive and have found no indication of accomplices. Authorities disclosed that Chang had failed to report for mandatory reserve military training in November 2024 and was wanted for violating Taiwan’s military service laws after failing to update his household registration, preventing delivery of his summons, Central News Agency reported, citing prosecutors.
The attack rattled a city known for low violent crime rates and highlighted vulnerabilities in crowded transit and commercial spaces during peak hours. Security analysts say the use of smoke grenades to create confusion mirrors tactics seen in other lone-actor attacks globally, complicating rapid identification and response.
Taipei officials said security patrols were increased around major transportation hubs and shopping districts following the incident as investigators continue to piece together Chang’s movements and actions.
NBC
