Chang Wen (張文), who went on a stabbing spree in Taipei on Friday last week, was living solely on savings and financial support from his mother, the Taipei Police Department said today.
Last week’s attacks at Taipei Main Station and near Zhongshan MRT station left four people dead, including Chang, while at least 11 others were injured.
The city’s Criminal Investigation Division today held a news conference to discuss details of the investigation.
Photo: Wang Guan-ren, Taipei Times
A task force had been assigned to trace how Chang financed the attack, the source of the weapons he used and his movements prior to the incident, said Lu Chun-hung (盧俊宏), chief of Taipei's Criminal Investigation Division.
The task force concluded that Chang meticulously prepared for the attack after reviewing the timing and site-survey footage related to Chang’s purchases of weapons, investigators said.
The task force found that Chang regularly used a Chunghwa Post account under his own name, with records showing that his only income came from his mother, including a NT$450,000 transfer in March 2023 and subsequent transfers of between NT$30,000 and NT$60,000 approximately every three months until October, investigators said.
About NT$820,000 was transferred into his account, they said.
Chang had no income and relied solely on savings and transfers from his mother after he lost his job as a security guard in August 2023, they said.
When he died on Friday, his account balance was just NT$39, investigators said.
The task force confirmed that the equipment, smoke grenades and knives used in the attack were all purchased via online shopping platforms and collected from convenience stores or retail outlets.
Thirteen knives were seized, including three long knives priced at between NT$2,300 and NT$2,700 and 10 short knives, each costing more than NT$600, investigators said.
Chang acted alone throughout the attack, they added.
The evening before the attack, he checked stairwells and asked staff at the Eslite Spectrum Nanxi building whether he could access the sixth-floor rooftop, where he jumped to his death after the attack, investigators said, adding that he told the staff that he wanted to take a photograph of a Christmas tree across the builing from the rooftop, but they refused him entry.
This afternoon, forensic pathologists conducted an autopsy on Chang’s body at the Taipei Municipal Second Funeral Parlor to ascertain whether he had been affected by drugs or toxic substances.
Chang’s parents were in attendance and entered the autopsy room.
Meanwhile, Taipei Metro Police Chief Liao Luo-yu (廖洛育) today said that Taipei Metro Police are responsible for 117 metro stations across Taipei and New Taipei City — a system that handles more than 2 million passengers per day.
The unit has 203 officers, including 168 frontline officers, though it is impossible to predict when or where an incident might occur, Liao said.
Metro police can only rely on staggered duty deployments and respond as quickly as possible when incidents occur, which might lead to operational gaps, he said, adding that the force would continue to review and improve its deployment strategies.
Police again called on the public to provide tips by calling the (02) 2381-7263 hotline or the 110 emergency line.
They have yet to receive any calls since the hotline was announced last night, people familiar with the matter said.
Additional reporting by Cheng Ching-yi
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