Taiwan president vows full inquiry into deadly subway attack

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Taiwan officials called the Dec 19 attack a “deliberate act” but said the motive was not immediately clear.

PHOTO: REUTERS

TAIPEI - Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te pledged a full, public inquiry into a

deadly subway attack

A 27-year-old suspect set off smoke bombs in Taipei’s main subway station during the evening rush hour on Dec 19 before launching into a stabbing rampage, according to authorities.

He killed three people in an attack that spanned the main station, an underground shopping district and another subway stop, while at least 11 others were wounded, according to a revised count from the police on Dec 20.

The suspect, who had been wanted for evading military service, died in an apparent suicide after the attack, Taipei’s mayor said at briefing on the night of Dec 19.

Officials called it a “deliberate act” but said the motive was not immediately clear.

While visiting hospitals on Dec 20, Mr Lai offered sympathy and pledged transparency.

“I want to express condolences to those who tragically lost their lives in last night’s horrific, violent attack, and to extend my sympathy to their families,” he said at one of the hospitals.

He added that he has ordered a “full and thorough investigation” and will “give the public a full account of truth”.

Violent crime is rare in Taiwan. The last time a similar incident occurred was in 2014, when a man on a stabbing spree in the metro killed four people. AFP