TAIPEI: Three people were killed and five injured when a knife-wielding attacker went on a rampage in central Taipei on Friday (Dec 19), before dying during a police chase when he fell from a building, the premier said.
The man had let off smoke bombs at Taipei’s main train station, and then ran to a nearby subway station in a busy shopping district, attacking people on the way, Premier Cho Jung-tai said.
The suspected attacker had a prior criminal record and outstanding warrants, and his house has been searched, Cho told reporters.
“We will investigate his background and associated relationships to understand his motives and determine if there are other connected factors,” he added, identifying the man only by his last name, Chang.
Taiwan media reported earlier that at least nine people were injured after a man threw petrol and smoke bombs at Taipei Main Station, the city’s busiest. He then attacked people with a knife near Zhongshan Station.
“The suspect wore a mask and deliberately threw away multiple petrol bombs and smoke bombs, and then randomly attacked people at MRT Zhongshan Station, causing many injuries,” Cho said earlier in a Facebook post.
He added that security has been heightened at Taipei Main Station, Zhongshan Station and their surrounding areas.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/taiwan-attack-smoke-bomb-taipei-station-5652011
