Man Kills 3, Injures 5 in Taipei Knife and Smoke Attack

A man armed with smoke grenades and a long knife killed three people and injured five others in a chaotic rampage through central Taipei on Friday evening before dying in a fall from a building, authorities said.

The attacks began around 5:30 p.m. local time near the exit of Taipei Main Station, a major transit hub close to the city's main train station. Witnesses reported hearing muffled explosions as the suspect, identified only by his last name Chang, released smoke grenades that filled the area with thick, orange-white fumes carrying a chemical odor. Commuters panicked and fled, some gasping for air amid the confusion. One victim, a man in his 50s, suffered cardiac arrest from the smoke and was pronounced dead despite paramedics' efforts at the scene.

The assailant then boarded the subway for one stop to Zhongshan Station in a bustling shopping district. There, he threw additional smoke grenades on the street before entering a nearby department store, including the Eslite Spectrum Nanxi location, and began stabbing passersby indiscriminately. Footage from local broadcaster EBC showed him wielding the knife as people screamed and scattered. Among the victims was a bystander...