Police are tracing the finances of Chang Wen (張文) to determine how he obtained the money to plan and carry out a stabbing spree in Taipei, the city’s Criminal Investigation Division said yesterday.
Police would report any progress as soon as details become available, Lu Chun-hung (盧俊宏), chief of Taipei’s Criminal Investigation Division, told a news conference about the incident in which four people died, including Chang, and at least 11 others were injured.
Chang, who fell to his death from the roof of a six-story department store while being pursued by police, is believed to have meticulously planned the attack and began buying supplies more than a year and a half ago.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
Concerns have been raised about how he financed the attack.
A former professional soldier, Chang was discharged from the military in 2022 for drunk driving and later worked as a security guard for about a year. After leaving that job, he remained unemployed, and in July a warrant was issued for his arrest after he failed to report for reservist training.
It has been reported that Chang’s mother last year sent him quarterly remittances of NT$30,000.
Lu again urged the public not to spread threatening or violent messages online, saying that police would thoroughly investigate such activity to prevent potential copycat attacks.
Meanwhile, the city’s law enforcement agency has faced public criticism over its response to the incident, with some asking why the police did not act more quickly.
The Taipei Police Department told a news conference that the attacker changed disguises five times and used three modes of transport — walking, scooter and YouBike — which greatly hindered the police investigation.
Chang scouted the area in advance to familiarize himself with its layout, enabling him to commit the attacks and flee quickly, it said.
Police said they would accept public feedback and review how to better coordinate between agencies and respond more quickly to incidents.
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