three people killed in stabbing rampage
Reuters
Taipei: Three people were killed and five injured when a knife-wielding attacker went on a rampage in central Taipei on Friday and later died after falling from a building during a police pursuit, the prime minister said.
Prime Minister Cho Jung-tai said the man threw a smoke bomb at Taipei’s main train station and then ran to a nearby subway station in a crowded shopping area, attacking people on the way.
Cho told reporters that the deceased suspected attacker had a previous criminal record and had an outstanding arrest warrant, and his home was searched. Violent crimes are very rare in Taiwan.
“We will investigate his background and associated relationships to understand his motives and determine if there are other factors that are linked,” he added, identifying the man only by his surname Chang.
In addition to smoke bombs, the suspect also had items such as a gasoline bomb that appeared to have burned at the scene, Cho said, and was also wearing what appeared to be a bulletproof vest and mask.
“It appears he deliberately threw smoke bombs and used a long knife to carry out indiscriminate attacks on members of the public.”
More to come
Reuters
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