taipei, taiwan— Taiwanese officials said Saturday that the suspect who killed three people and wounded 11 others in knife and smoke-grenade attacks in the island’s capital had planned attacks and fires at other locations earlier in the day.
The suspect, identified as Chang Wen, a 27-year-old man, fell from a department store building in Taipei and died after the attack on Friday.
The attacks shocked Taiwan, where violent crimes are rare, prompting authorities to step up security in crowded places and large events, including New Year’s Eve celebrations that typically draw many locals and tourists for the outdoor countdown.
Chang Jung-seon, director general of the National Police Agency, said the suspect launched a series of attacks at 3:40 p.m. local time, first setting fire to streets and damaging cars and motorcycles. He also set fire to the place where he lived.
After the attack, the suspect took an underground route.
Chang said the suspect later threw smoke grenades near two exits of the Taipei Main Metro station and used a knife to fatally wound a man. After the attack, the suspect took an underground route to return to the hotel where he was staying. He then threw more smoke grenades and used his knife to kill another man outside the Eslite Spectrum Nancy department store, the officer said.
He also fatally wounded another man on the fourth floor of the department store building before jumping to his death from the fifth floor, Chang said.
The smoke grenade the attacker used could be purchased online and the suspect had visited the sites before the attack, an official said.
“The suspect planned to attack indiscriminately. He acted according to his plan,” Chang said. He said the preliminary investigation did not find that the suspect worked in collaboration with anyone else.
Authorities were still investigating his motive. Chang said the suspect had volunteered to serve in the military but was fired for driving under the influence. According to him, the suspect has been on the loose since July after not showing up for military duty.
“The suspect has not contacted his family for more than two years,” Chang said. “They said the suspect has been interested in guns and weapons since childhood.”
Six injured people are still in the hospital. Two were being treated in intensive care units but were in stable condition after surgery, officials said.
After receiving information from authorities, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te called for a thorough investigation of the incident, examining the suspect’s background, motives, financial resources and whether he had received help from others.
