Taiwan has bolstered security ahead of the coming holidays to pre-empt potential copycat attacks following a deadly mass stabbing that has left the island on edge.
The island’s Ministry of the Interior and National Police Agency (NPA) ordered tighter deployments at transport hubs and major events, increased monitoring of online threats and accelerated reviews of police resources and command procedures.
Announced in separate statements on Tuesday, the measures came after last week’s violence triggered a surge in public anxiety and a rash of threatening and copycat posts on social media.
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The attacks unfolded on Friday afternoon in central Taipei, when a 27-year-old man identified by authorities as Chang Wen launched assaults in and around Taipei Main Station and the nearby Zhongshan commercial district.
Police said Chang began his rampage at about 3.40pm, setting fires along roads and damaging cars and motorbikes before torching the flat where he lived. About an hour later, he used smoke devices to create confusion near two exits of Taipei Main Station and carried out knife attacks in crowded public areas inside the station and a nearby department store.
Taipei Metro attack witness recalls ‘terrifying’ experience
Taipei Metro attack witness recalls ‘terrifying’ experience
Three people were killed and 11 injured, police said. Chang later died after falling from a building. Prosecutors said they were investigating the motive behind his indiscriminate violence.