At least three people were killed and nine others injured when a knife-wielding attacker went on a rampage in Taipei, Taiwan’s capital.
The 27-year-old suspect set off smoke bombs at Taipei’s main subway station, before running to another station in a busy shopping district, stabbing people along the way, Taiwanese Prime Minister Cho Jung-tai said.
The suspect, identified by officials as Taiwanese Chang Wen, later died after falling from a multi-story building, Cho added. His motive remains unclear.
Attacks of this type are rare in Taiwan, which has low rates of violent crime. The last time a similar incident hit Taipei was more than a decade ago, in 2014.
Friday’s attack took place during the city’s evening rush hour.
Videos shared on social media showed people fleeing the scene in panic as an individual wearing a baseball cap and black clothing lobbed smoke bombs across a busy street.
He can then be seen carrying a large knife as he walks past cars.
Cho said the suspect had detonated smoke bombs and Molotov cocktails at Taipei’s main station, which is connected to a busy underground shopping street.
A man reportedly tried to stop the attacker, but was hit with a blunt object and later died in hospital.
The suspect then headed to another subway about 800 meters away, Zhongshan subway station. where he detonated more smoke bombs and stabbed more people.
Cho said he had ordered increased security at subway and railway stations, as well as airports, in response to the attack.
“Let’s investigate [the suspect’s] background and associated relationships to understand their motives and “determine” whether there are other factors connected,” Cho was quoted as saying by the Reuters news agency.
Taiwan President William Lai also promised a swift investigation.
In the last major incident of its kind, in 2014, a man killed four people on a subway train in Taipei, shocking people in Taiwan. The perpetrator of that attack was executed two years later.
