At Least 9 Wounded in Taipei Smoke Grenade and Knife Attack: What We Know So Far

A coordinated smoke grenade and knife attack in central Taipei on the evening of December 19, 2025, left at least nine people wounded and several others dead, shocking a city and a region where violent crime is relatively rare. According to early reports from local authorities and Taiwan’s national news agency, a 27-year-old man armed with at least one knife and multiple smoke grenades launched an indiscriminate assault near Taipei Main metro station before moving on to a nearby shopping district, where he continued stabbing passersby.

Image Illustration. Photo by Isaac N. on Unsplash

Timeline of the Attack

Authorities say the attack began around the height of the evening rush hour, shortly after 5:20 p.m. local time, at an underground exit of Taipei Main metro station, one of the capital’s busiest transit hubs. Witnesses and security footage cited by local media show the suspect, dressed in black and wearing a gas mask, dropping at least two smoke grenades that quickly filled parts of the station area with thick smoke, sending commuters scrambling for exits.

Amid the chaos, the attacker allegedly began stabbing people at or near the station exit with what police later described as a “sharp object” or long knife. One victim, a 57-year-old man who tried to block the assailant’s path and protect other commuters, was fatally wounded in the chest, according to a treating physician at National Taiwan University Hospital quoted in local reports.

After the initial assault, the attacker reportedly moved north via an underground passage toward the Zhongshan commercial district, a densely packed shopping area a short walk from the station. There, he entered the Eslite Spectrum Nanxi department store and continued his rampage, deploying more smoke grenades and stabbing shoppers on multiple floors, including at least one attack on the fourth floor.

Police chased the suspect on foot through the surrounding streets and into nearby buildings. The man ultimately fell from an upper floor of the department store complex during the pursuit and was later pronounced dead at a hospital, according to accounts from Taiwan’s Central News Agency and city officials.

Casualties and Condition of the Victims

Reports from Taipei’s city government and hospitals indicate that the attack killed at least three people and injured at least nine others, though the precise toll has fluctuated as authorities reconciled casualty counts overnight. Early dispatches from the city’s fire department cited four deaths, including the suspect, and five additional injuries, while later tallies referenced three dead and nine wounded, depending on whether the attacker was included in the fatality figure.

Among the injured were commuters suffering stab wounds to the neck and torso, a Taipei Metro staff member treated for smoke inhalation, and several shoppers caught in the chaos around Zhongshan station. Local media quoted physicians as saying that some patients underwent emergency surgery, with at least two in intensive care but in stable condition as of Saturday morning, according to official statements reported by Taiwan’s health authorities and major news outlets.

A female survivor told a local broadcaster that she initially thought she had been bumped rather than slashed outside the department store, only realizing the severity of her wound when she felt pain and saw others “lying on the ground and needing first aid because they were bleeding,” as quoted by regional media that aired her account.

The Suspect: Ex-Serviceman with Outstanding Warrant

Authorities have identified the attacker as 27-year-old Chang Wen, a former air force conscript who had failed to report for mandatory reserve military service. Prosecutors say he had been wanted since mid-2024 for violating Taiwan’s law on compulsory service after not responding to a recall notice, possibly because he had not updated his household registration address.

Investigators later searched both the rental apartment Chang kept in Taipei and a nearby hotel room where he had reportedly stayed for several nights prior to the attack. Police said they found multiple knives and what they described as “lethal weapons,” along with evidence that he had purchased smoke grenades and other items online. A preliminary review by law enforcement suggests that Chang had scouted the locations in advance and acted alone, although investigators continue to probe his movements, finances and online activity for any sign of accomplices or ideological motives.

Family members told local media they had not been in close contact with Chang for more than two years and described him as increasingly isolated and preoccupied with weapons, according to interviews compiled by Taiwanese journalists and referenced in early police briefings. The precise motive for Friday’s attack remains unclear; officials have not publicly linked the case to any extremist group or political cause.

A Rare Outburst of Mass Violence in Taiwan

Taiwan generally records low levels of violent crime compared with many countries in the region. Government statistics show that the island’s overall violent crime rate, including homicide and serious assault, has trended downward over the past decade, with the national homicide rate hovering at roughly 0.6 per 100,000 people in recent years—well below the global average, according to data compiled by Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

Nevertheless, Friday’s incident has revived memories of the 2014 Taipei Metro stabbing spree, in which four people were killed and 21 injured on a subway train. That attack—still one of the deadliest random assaults in the island’s recent history—sparked intense debate over mental health care, security on mass transit, and the death penalty. The perpetrator in that case was executed in 2016 after being convicted of murder.

While smaller stabbing incidents and interpersonal violence do occur, mass attacks targeting strangers in public spaces remain uncommon. A review of documented mass stabbings in Taiwan over the past two decades shows only a handful of cases meeting that threshold, underscoring why Friday’s rampage has drawn such intense scrutiny from both the public and policymakers.

Government and Public Safety Response

Taiwan’s Premier Cho Jung-tai called the incident “a deliberate act” and ordered heightened security across the island’s transportation network and major public venues. In a televised statement, he said the attacker had “deliberately thrown smoke bombs and wielded a long knife to carry out indiscriminate attacks on the public,” pledging a thorough investigation into his background and any potential links to others.

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an, who visited the crime scenes and several hospitals overnight, confirmed that the city had dispatched additional police and metro security staff to key stations. He also praised the actions of the victim who tried to physically stop the attacker at the station exit, describing him as someone who “immediately stood up to protect others,” according to remarks reported by multiple regional news outlets and wire services.

President Lai Ching-te issued a message of condolence to victims’ families and thanked first responders, medical personnel and bystanders who helped carry the injured to safety. He also instructed the Executive Yuan to conduct an urgent review of how replica or improvised smoke grenades and petrol bombs can be purchased online, a concern that has already led to the removal of some listings, according to local media coverage summarized by international news agencies.

Security Questions Ahead of Major Events

The attack comes at a sensitive time for Taiwan, which is preparing for a busy calendar of year-end holidays, large public gatherings and international events. In the wake of the stabbings, authorities said they would keep “a high level of alert and vigilance” at railway stations, metro hubs, airports and major tourist sites across the island, echoing measures adopted after previous attacks in 2014 and in smaller incidents since then.

Public transportation operators are also reviewing emergency protocols, including how quickly smoke can be vented from platforms and tunnels, how staff are trained to distinguish drills from real attacks, and how to coordinate evacuations without triggering stampedes. Analysts note that many of these issues mirror debates seen after similar knife or smoke-device attacks in transit systems in other parts of Asia and Europe, where relatively simple weapons have been used to bypass conventional counterterrorism measures designed primarily around firearms or explosives, as documented in comparative studies by transport-security researchers and international think tanks.

A City in Shock, but Systems Held

For Taipei residents, the images of smoke-filled station corridors, fleeing commuters and a gas-mask-clad attacker have been deeply unsettling. Yet public safety experts also point to signs that emergency systems functioned as designed: metro staff activated smoke extraction systems, police units were on the scene within minutes, and local hospitals quickly implemented mass-casualty protocols, helping to stabilize the most seriously injured.

In the days ahead, investigators will work to reconstruct the attacker’s movements and mindset, while policymakers confront longer-term questions about mental health support, online weapons marketplaces and whether additional security measures are needed in a society that has long prided itself on safe, open public spaces. For now, the focus remains on the victims—the three who lost their lives, the at least nine injured in the attack, and the many more who will carry the psychological scars of a terrifying evening commute.