Taipei Subway Attack Leaves 3 Dead, Suspect Dies Attempting Escape
Deadly attack kills three in Taiwan capital.
A shocking and violent incident unfolded in central Taipei on Friday evening when a lone assailant launched a coordinated attack using a smoke grenade and a knife in densely populated public spaces, resulting in at least three confirmed deaths and six individuals sustaining injuries requiring immediate hospitalisation.
The sequence of events commenced at the bustling Taipei Main subway station, a major transportation hub situated near the city's principal railway station. The perpetrator, identified as 27-year-old Chang Wen, deliberately deployed a smoke grenade close to an underground exit, generating widespread confusion and prompting commuters to flee in panic as visibility plummeted and alarm spread rapidly through the crowded area.
Having initiated chaos at the subway station, the suspect swiftly relocated to the adjacent Eslite department store, a well-known upscale shopping destination frequented by locals and visitors alike. There, on the first and fourth floors, he carried out a series of targeted stabbings, predominantly aiming at victims' necks, demonstrating a calculated and brutal approach that escalated the tragedy within the commercial complex.
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Among the injured, one pedestrian suffered a severe assault that led to an immediate cardiac arrest prior to medical intervention, while another victim experienced significant respiratory complications directly attributable to inhalation of fumes from the smoke grenade. The remaining casualties endured various stab wounds, with all affected individuals promptly transported to nearby hospitals for urgent treatment and stabilisation.
In the aftermath of the rampage, authorities confirmed that Chang Wen leaped from the sixth floor of a department store building in an apparent attempt to evade capture. He was subsequently rushed to a medical facility but was declared dead upon arrival. Investigations revealed that the suspect had been evading authorities for failing to report for mandatory reserve military training since November of the previous year, constituting a violation of Taiwan's compulsory military service regulations.
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