An attack incident occurs at Eslite Nanshi Store next to Zhongshan Metro Station in Taipei on December 19, 2025. Photo: Screenshot from media reports

An attack incident occurred in Taipei of China's Taiwan, on Friday afternoon, where a suspect surnamed Chang threw smoke bombs and attacked people with a knife near two metro stations. Including the suspect himself, the incident has resulted in four deaths and five injuries, according to media outlets in Taiwan island.

A 27-year-old wanted suspect, identified as Chang Wen, threw smoke bombs at Taipei Main Station's MRT area on Friday evening before moving on to Zhongshan Station, where he carried out a random knife attack and later entered the Eslite Spectrum Nanxi store, according to TTV News. 

According to the latest information, Chang was surrounded by police and is suspected to have jumped from the sixth floor in an apparent attempt to evade arrest. He was found in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), rushed to hospital, and was pronounced dead at 7:48 pm after resuscitation efforts failed, said the report. 

According to a UDN News report, at around 5 pm on Friday, Chang firstly threw smoke bombs at Taipei Station and stabbed a man aged about 57 at the scene. The stabbed victim showed no signs of life upon being sent to the hospital, the report said.

Subsequently, Chang moved to the Zhongshan Metro Station to continue his attack, randomly assaulting pedestrians with a long knife while also throwing smoke bombs and breaking into the Eslite Spectrum Nanxi store, UDN News reported.

Footage released earlier showed Chang wearing a gas mask falling from the rooftop of the store, approximately from the height of the sixth floor, the report said. He was pronounced dead at 7:56 pm, the report added.

It was revealed that the suspect, Chang, is 27-year-old and had a prior record of evading military service and was wanted by the Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office in July this year.

The "defense department" of Taiwan later clarified that the suspect is not an active-duty serviceman, Taiwan-based outlet ETtoday reported.

Cheng Li-wun, chairperson of the Chinese Kuomintang party, said in a post on Facebook that she was deeply shocked and extended her deepest concern and sympathies to those who were injured. 

Public transportation is a vital safety space relied upon by the entire population on a daily basis, and no form of violence should ever be tolerated, Cheng said.

She reminded the public that if they are in stations or other crowded places, they should remain calm and follow on-site staff instructions for evacuation. 

Any suspicious individuals or activities should be reported immediately, said Cheng, adding that she hopes that people not to forward unverified information so as to avoid causing panic.

Following the incident, the affected shopping mall were closed, and a statement was issued regarding the emergency.

"We are deeply shocked and regretful about this incident. We immediately evacuated the public and cooperated with the police to search the floors and review surveillance footage," read the statement.

All personnel in the mall have been evacuated, and the mall will fully cooperate with the police investigation, strengthen vigilance, and jointly maintain on-site safety, the statement added.

Metro Taipei said that it has initiated an elevated alert across all station lines, with enhanced patrols to monitor suspicious individuals or objects, Taiwan regional media outlet reported.

As of press time, the high-speed rail, conventional rail, and all metro lines are operating normally, with trains running as scheduled, UDN News reported.

Taiwan regional official Cho Jung-tai required health authorities to make every effort to provide medical treatment and ordered police to maintain a high level of alert at key locations and to conduct an overnight investigation into the motive of the suspect and whether there are any related accomplices or links, according to a report from the UDN News. 


Global Times