A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night.
The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station.
One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest due to the grenade incident, but despite efforts to resuscitate him, he was later pronounced dead.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (臺北大眾捷運) in a statement said smoke from the incident drifted onto station platforms, prompting trains to temporarily pass through without stopping.
Normal operations resumed after the smoke dissipated, it added.
The smoke grenades were thrown near Exit M7 of the station at about 5pm, it said, adding that the police and fire service were immediately notified.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
He later headed north to the area outside Eslite Spectrum Nanxi near MRT Zhongshan Station and stabbed multiple people on the first and fourth floors of the department store, primarily in the neck, Taipei police said.
Mackay Memorial Hospital last night said that they had treated a man who had an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, but he later died, making him the second civilian fatality in the case.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) told reporters the suspect was a Taiwanese man born in 1998, who is believed to have jumped to his death while being pursued by police.
Photo courtesy of the police
Chang fell from the top of the Eslite department store in an apparent suicide attempt and later died of an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
It is currently known that Chang had a criminal record.
He was scheduled to report for reserve military training on Nov. 25 last year, and an arrest warrant was issued on July 11 for violating the Punishment Act for Violation to Military Service System (妨害兵役治罪條例).
Photo: Reuters/ Ann Wang
Taipei prosecutors searched a place Chang rented in the city’s Zhongzheng District and found materials on making Molotov cocktails inside the residence.
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) last night said he has instructed the National Police Agency to increase security at all national railway and bus stations, as well as at MRT stations and airports.
Chang was wearing what appeared to be body armor, a mask, and wielding a long knife, which he used to indiscriminately attack members of the public, Cho said, adding authorities will work through the night to determine his background and motivation.
Photo: CNA
President William Lai (賴清德) in a post on his Facebook page last night said the government will do its utmost to ensure public safety with heightened security measures.
A thorough investigation will be conducted in accordance with the law, and efforts made to swiftly clarify the facts of the attacks, he added.
Right-wing political scientist Laura Fernandez on Sunday won Costa Rica’s presidential election by a landslide, after promising to crack down on rising violence linked to the cocaine trade. Fernandez’s nearest rival, economist Alvaro Ramos, conceded defeat as results showed the ruling party far exceeding the threshold of 40 percent needed to avoid a runoff. With 94 percent of polling stations counted, the political heir of outgoing Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves had captured 48.3 percent of the vote compared with Ramos’ 33.4 percent, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal said. As soon as the first results were announced, members of Fernandez’s Sovereign People’s Party
MORE RESPONSIBILITY: Draftees would be expected to fight alongside professional soldiers, likely requiring the transformation of some training brigades into combat units The armed forces are to start incorporating new conscripts into combined arms brigades this year to enhance combat readiness, the Executive Yuan’s latest policy report said. The new policy would affect Taiwanese men entering the military for their compulsory service, which was extended to one year under reforms by then-president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in 2022. The conscripts would be trained to operate machine guns, uncrewed aerial vehicles, anti-tank guided missile launchers and Stinger air defense systems, the report said, adding that the basic training would be lengthened to eight weeks. After basic training, conscripts would be sorted into infantry battalions that would take
GROWING AMBITIONS: The scale and tempo of the operations show that the Strait has become the core theater for China to expand its security interests, the report said Chinese military aircraft incursions around Taiwan have surged nearly 15-fold over the past five years, according to a report released yesterday by the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Department of China Affairs. Sorties in the Taiwan Strait were previously irregular, totaling 380 in 2020, but have since evolved into routine operations, the report showed. “This demonstrates that the Taiwan Strait has become both the starting point and testing ground for Beijing’s expansionist ambitions,” it said. Driven by military expansionism, China is systematically pursuing actions aimed at altering the regional “status quo,” the department said, adding that Taiwan represents the most critical link in China’s
‘REALLY PROUD’: Nvidia would not be possible without Taiwan, Huang said, adding that TSMC would be increasing its capacity by 100 percent Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) on Saturday praised and lightly cajoled his major Taiwanese suppliers to produce more to help power strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI), capping a visit to the country of his birth, where he has been mobbed by adoring fans at every step. Speaking at an impromptu press conference in the rain outside a Taipei restaurant, where he had hosted suppliers for a “trillion-dollar dinner,” named after the market capitalization of those firms attending, Huang said this would be another good year for business. “TSMC needs to work very hard this year because I need a lot
RSS