Wielding fake knives and throwing pretend Molotov cocktails, mock attackers charged at passengers in a Taipei transportation hub yesterday as part of a drill to bolster responses following a deadly rampage in the Taiwanese capital.
On Friday last week, an assailant set off smoke bombs inside Taipei Main Station during rush hour before launching a stabbing spree near Zhongshan MRT Station, killing three people and wounding 11.
The 27-year-old suspect was found dead later the same day. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the attacker had apparently jumped off a building.
Photo: HUANG YU CHIEN, AFP
Officials have since called for improved emergency protocols and to ensure police have adequate training to respond to incidents of violent crime, which are rare in Taiwan.
Under the plan by Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC), the exercise was conducted in three stages, beginning with a simulated fire bomb attack by an assailant at Taipei City Hall MRT Station, followed by an indiscriminate assault at Taipei City Hall Bus Station, and concluding with a mass-casualty response outside Exit 2 of the metro station.
Chiang said the drill conducted yesterday was aimed at boosting responses to random, indiscriminate attacks to “ensure the safety of all citizens.”
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
The two mock attackers simulated throwing Molotov cocktails onto the platform in a metro stop near Taipei City Hall, with police evacuating passengers and putting out the pretend fire.
The mock attackers then moved on to a nearby bus hub and charged at people in front of a ticket counter before they were tackled by police.
The drill included more than 300 participants.
Photo: CNA
Residents had been notified of the drill via text messages sent by the city in Chinese and English, headed “Drill” and “Test” to indicate a simulated major emergency.
“Through today’s high-intensity drill, we will thoroughly and comprehensively review the existing defense mechanisms, leaving no stone unturned,” Chiang said.
“We must approach all potential emergencies with a mindset of anticipating the worst-case scenario and responding decisively,” he added.
At the metro station where the drill was taking place, product manager Shell Kuo said she was passing by, but stayed to watch.
Like other drills to prepare for an earthquake scenario, for example, “this is quite necessary, at least so that we know how to respond if a real situation arises,” she said.
TRTC said that it would hold a similar drill at the end of next month, simulating multiple assailants carrying out attacks at Taipei Main Station, which is served by Taiwan Railway Corp, Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corp and the Taipei MRT.
A third exercise would be conducted just before the Lunar New Year holiday, which begins on Feb. 14, with the New Taipei City MRT simulating wider attacks by multiple assailants at stations in the Greater Taipei area, TRTC said, without providing an exact date.
Police have yet to ascertain the motive for last week’s attack.
Officials said the rampage was “deliberate” and have “preliminarily” ruled out terrorism.
The suspect had served in the military, but was discharged over driving under the influence of alcohol, according to police, who said he was wanted after failing to report for reserve training.
Investigators found searches for “random killings” on his iPad, including material related to a Taipei metro stabbing in 2014 in which four people were killed.
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