At least three people were killed and nine others injured after a knife-wielding attacker went on a rampage in Taiwan’s capital, Taipei, on Friday evening.
The suspect, a 27-year-old man, first set off smoke bombs at the city’s main metro station before running to another station in a busy shopping district, stabbing people along the way, Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai said.
Officials identified the suspect as Chang Wen, a Taiwanese national, who later died after falling from a multi-storey building. His motive remains unclear.
Attacks of this kind are rare in Taiwan, which has low rates of violent crime. The last similar incident in Taipei occurred more than a decade ago, in 2014.
Friday’s attack took place at around 17:20 local time (09:20 GMT), during the city’s evening rush hour.
Videos shared on social media show people fleeing in panic as a person wearing a baseball cap and black clothing throws smoke bombs across a busy road.
The individual can then be seen carrying a large knife as he walks past several cars.
Cho said the suspect had detonated smoke bombs and Molotov cocktails at Taipei Main Station, which is connected to a busy underground shopping street.
A man reportedly tried to stop the attacker but was struck with a blunt object and later died in hospital.
The suspect then fled through an underground shopping centre to nearby Zhongshan Station, about 800 metres away.
After briefly returning to his hotel to pick up a weapon, he ran back to the street outside Zhongshan Station, where he set off more smoke bombs and stabbed additional victims.
The attacker later entered a nearby bookshop and department store, but fell from the building after police surrounded him. He was pronounced dead shortly after being taken to hospital.
Cho said he had ordered increased security at metro and railway stations, as well as at airports, following the attack.
“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.
Taiwan’s President William Lai also pledged a swift investigation.
Local media reported that the suspect had a criminal record and was wanted by the authorities.
The last major attack of this nature occurred in 2014, when a man killed four people on an underground train in Taipei, shocking the country. The perpetrator of that attack was executed two years later.
