At least three people died and 11 others were injured after a series of attacks in the Taipei subway, Taiwanese police reported this Saturday, in a new official report.
According to authorities, a 27-year-old man detonated smoke bombs at the capital’s central station during the evening rush hour, then launched a stabbing attack on passengers. The action spread to the main station, an underground shopping center and another metro station, according to police.
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The suspect, who allegedly fled compulsory military service, died apparently by suicide, the mayor of Taipei said at a press conference on Saturday evening (20). Authorities called the episode a “deliberate act” but said the motivation had not yet been clarified.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te visited hospitals where the victims were treated and promised a “thorough and comprehensive investigation.” “I would like to express my condolences to those who lost their lives in this horrific and violent attack, and express my deepest sympathy to the families,” he said.
One of the victims died while trying to stop the attacker at the central station, according to authorities. A witness told local television station EBC News that he saw “a man running to try to hold him back”.
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— At first I thought it was training, but then I saw someone with a knife throwing smoke bombs — said the witness, who preferred to remain anonymous.
Violent attacks are rare in Taiwan, although a similar incident occurred in 2014 when a man killed four people on the Taipei subway. The perpetrator of this attack was executed in 2016.
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