Who played the bloody game on the streets of Taiwan? 4 people died in knife attack, smoke grenade bomb spread panic

taipei. At least four people were killed and nine were injured in a smoke grenade throwing and knife attack in Taiwan’s capital Taipei on Friday. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an gave this information. The mayor said that the suspect jumped from a building to avoid arrest. Taiwan’s Central News Agency quoted police as saying that the suspect was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead.

According to local media reports, the suspect threw smoke grenades at a metro station near the city’s main railway station, causing people to run here and there. According to footage released by EBC, the man went to the metro one station ahead, got down there, came out of the station and then threw smoke grenades on the road. The video showed that the accused entered a shop attacking passers-by with a knife. Mayor Chiang Wan-an said that the condition of four of the injured was critical.

Taiwan’s Prime Minister Cho Jung-tai said one of the injured was a pedestrian who fell to the ground after the attack and suffered a heart attack before being taken to hospital. Another person had trouble breathing due to the smoke. Cho said that as a precaution, instructions have been given to increase security at railway and metro stations across the island.

Who was the attacker?
The attacker has been identified as a 27-year-old man, who was a resident of Taoyuan, northern county of Taiwan. It is reported that he had been a volunteer soldier in Taiwan’s Air Force and was posted in the Radio Communication Unit near Songshan Airport. It was removed from service in the year 2022. Taiwan’s Prime Minister Cho Jung-tai said that the attacker had a criminal record and warrants were already pending against him. According to local media, he was wanted for not reporting for military service duty in 2024. The Prime Minister described the incident as a ‘planned attack’, although the intention behind the attack was not clear till late night.

When and where did the attack happen?
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te issued a statement and gave instructions to increase security across the country and said that no leniency will be shown towards the culprits. The attack started from Taipei Main Station on Friday afternoon. The attacker threw smoke grenades inside the station during rush hour and then moved towards the nearby Zhongshan area. In the video that surfaced on social media, he was seen spreading smoke on the road and then entering a shopping mall and randomly attacking people. Local people described the incident as ‘scary and suffocating’. Violent crime is generally low in Taiwan, but such incidents have raised concerns about public safety in recent years.