Authorities say the masked assailant moved from Taipei Main Station to a nearby shopping district before falling to his death.
TAIPEI, TAIWAN — A man wearing a mask released smoke grenades and stabbed bystanders at multiple sites in central Taipei on Friday evening, killing at least three people and injuring others during the rush hour before he fell from a department store and was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Officials said the attacks began near an underground exit of Taipei Main Station and continued north toward the busy Zhongshan commercial area. The man, identified by authorities as 27-year-old Chang Wen, moved through public spaces with a long knife, sending commuters fleeing through smoke-filled corridors and crowded sidewalks. Investigators said they were reviewing security video and interviewing witnesses while forensic teams processed several scenes. City leaders called the violence rare for Taipei and pledged a full accounting of how the suspect moved, what he carried and whether anyone else was involved.
Shortly after the evening commute began, witnesses saw the suspect drop at least two smoke devices near Taipei Main Station and slash at passersby as people ran for exits and staff tried to clear the concourse. He then traveled toward the Zhongshan area and entered the Eslite Spectrum Nanxi department store, where he attacked people on multiple floors before falling from the sixth level during a police pursuit, authorities said. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an said a 57-year-old man who tried to stop the suspect at a station exit was among the dead. “He stepped in immediately and paid the highest price,” Chiang said. Video aired on local TV showed a figure in black and a gas mask moving through thick smoke near the station entrance.
Hospitals reported three fatalities and at least nine people treated for injuries ranging from stab wounds—several to the neck—to smoke inhalation. A metro employee was hospitalized after breathing in smoke while responding. Premier Cho Jung-tai said the attacker set off smoke bombs at the main train station and ran toward a nearby subway stop as he “carried out indiscriminate attacks on the public.” Cho said the suspect wore protective gear and carried additional items beyond the knife; investigators later searched the suspect’s residence and a downtown hotel room and said they recovered more weapons. Police said they had found no evidence of accomplices as of late Friday but had not ruled out any line of inquiry.
Authorities identified the suspect as Chang Wen, 27, and said he had an outstanding warrant related to reserve military service obligations. Local officials said Chang previously failed to report for required training in 2024. The department store where the chase ended—Eslite Spectrum Nanxi, a popular retail complex near Zhongshan Station—remained closed late Friday as technicians collected evidence on several levels and examined the area where Chang fell. Outside, officers expanded a cordon along Nanjing West Road as fire crews washed blood from the pavement and commuters detoured around blocked entrances. A woman who was waiting to meet her daughter for dinner near the store said she felt a sharp blow and only later realized she was bleeding; “People were lying on the ground needing first aid,” she said.
Taipei has seen few such mass attacks in recent years. The incident drew comparisons to a 2014 metro stabbing that left four dead and more than 20 injured, which prompted security upgrades across the system. Friday’s violence spanned both the city’s busiest rail hub and one of its densest shopping corridors, areas packed with office workers and families heading to dinner. The use of smoke devices in public transit spaces raised fresh questions about emergency ventilation, alarm protocols and communication with riders, which transit managers said they will review after the initial investigation. By mid-evening, trains continued to run with station access restricted in places while police checked adjoining underground passages linking the rail hub to malls and hotels.
Police said they are assembling a minute-by-minute timeline from station and street cameras, retailer footage and mobile videos surrendered by riders. Detectives are tracing where the smoke devices and knife were obtained and analyzing items seized from a rented apartment and the hotel where Chang reportedly stayed this week. Officials said autopsies on the deceased—including the suspect—will be scheduled under Taiwan’s standard procedure. Prosecutors joined officers at the crime scenes and will decide on any further warrants as evidence is cataloged. The city government said additional patrols will remain in place through the weekend around major transit nodes and department stores pending a risk assessment.
Witnesses described confusion as smoke seeped into the station concourse and shoppers heard screams several blocks away. Street vendors yanked down metal shutters while security guards ushered people toward side exits. “It did not feel like a slash—it felt like being hit,” said the woman injured near the department store, recalling the moment she looked back and saw strangers bleeding on the sidewalk. A convenience store clerk said she saw a man in black sprint past as people coughed against the chemical haze. Outside the cordon, relatives paced with phones pressed to their ears while ambulances rotated through a staging area and firefighters bundled used gauze into red biohazard bags.
As of late Friday, police said the motive remained unknown and the death toll stood at three, with several others hospitalized, at least one in serious condition. Investigators continued evidence collection overnight and planned to refine the public timeline after reviewing camera footage. City officials said further updates would follow once next-of-kin notifications and initial forensic work are complete.
Author note: Last updated December 19, 2025.