Taipei Knife Attack Kills 3, Injures 11; Attacker Dies

Taipei, Taiwan – A 27-year-old man carried out a meticulously planned knife and smoke grenade attack in central Taipei on Friday, killing three people and injuring 11 others before falling to his death from the fifth floor of a department store while fleeing police.

The assailant, identified by authorities as Chang Wen, began the assault around 3:40 p.m. at Taipei Main Metro Station, where he threw smoke grenades near underground exits and stabbed passersby indiscriminately. He then moved on foot and by bicycle toward a nearby shopping district, changing clothes multiple times to evade detection. Along the way, he set fires to roads, his apartment, and vehicles, causing additional damage. At the Eslite Spectrum Nanxi department store near Zhongshan Station, he continued the attack, stabbing victims on the street and inside the building, including on the fourth floor. Pursued by officers, Chang jumped from the fifth floor and died at the scene.

Police described the incident as a premeditated, lone act of violence. Investigators found that Chang had prepared for over a year, scouting the locations days in advance and purchasing smoke grenades, gas canisters, respirators, and other...