Knife attacker kills three after smoke bombing Taipei metro

At least three people died and nine people were injured as a result of a knife-wielding attack in Taiwan’s capital Taipei.

Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai said the 27-year-old suspect detonated smoke bombs at Taipei’s main subway station on Friday, then ran to another station in a crowded shopping area and stabbed people along the way.

The suspect later died after falling from a building, Cho added. Its cause remains unclear.

Such attacks are rare in Taiwan, where violent crime rates are low. The last time a similar incident occurred in 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 a man wearing a baseball cap and black clothing threw smoke bombs onto a busy road.

He can then be seen carrying a large knife as he passes cars.

Cho said the suspect detonated smoke bombs and Molotov cocktails at Taipei Main Station, which is connected to a busy underground shopping street.

A man reportedly tried to stop the attacker but was struck with a blunt object and later died in hospital.

The suspect then went to another metro station, about 800 meters away, where he detonated more smoke bombs and stabbed more people.

Cho said he ordered increased security at subway and train stations, as well as airports, in response to the attack.

“We will investigate [the suspect’s] It was investigating Cho’s background and related relationships to understand his intentions and “determine whether there are other relevant factors,” Reuters news agency quoted Cho as saying.

Taiwanese President William Lai also promised a swift investigation.

The last major such incident was in 2014, when a man killed four people on an underground train in Taipei, shocking people in Taiwan. The perpetrator of this attack was executed two years later.