A man carrying a knife and smoke bomb attacked a crowd in Taipei, Taiwan (China) on the evening of December 19, killing at least 3 people and injuring 9 others.
The suspect, identified as Chang Wen, 27, blew smoke bombs at a Zhongshan metro station in Taipei, causing pedestrians to panic and run away.
The suspect then moved north to a notorious shopping mall, throwing smoke bombs and stabbing, mainly in the necks, of many people on the first and fourth floors of the Eslite Spectrum Nanxi shopping mall.
The suspect later died from falling from a shopping mall building. Police said the suspect was declared dead at the hospital after falling from the 6th floor of the building.
The police said they have not yet found any traces and are investigating the motive for the crime. Police have recovered some dangerous weapons from both the suspect's rental house in Taipei and the hotel room where the suspect spent 3 nights near the Zhongshan metro station.
Local media reported that suspect Chang Wen failed to report for reserve military training in November 2024 and was wanted for violating the mandatory military service law. This suspect did not appear to have declared a change in household registration, leading to not receiving a summons to join the reserve military service.
