Knife and smoke grenade attacks in central Taipei leave three dead, suspect dies

On the evening of December 19, 2025, a lone assailant wearing black clothing and a gas mask detonated smoke devices and stabbed multiple people at and near Taipei Main Station before resuming attacks in the Zhongshan shopping district, including inside the Eslite Spectrum Nanxi department store, according to Taipei city and national authorities. Official tallies published by the Central News Agency and city officials listed three victims killed and 11 injured. The suspect, identified as 27 year old Chang Wen, later fell from a department store building and was pronounced dead at a hospital. Some counts that include the attacker have presented a total of four deaths.

Video shown on local television networks captured a man dropping smoke devices near at least two exits of Taipei Main Station, adjacent to the city’s main train hub, prompting panicked passengers to flee. Authorities said the attacker used an underground passage to return to his hotel, then moved to the Zhongshan shopping area where he threw additional smoke devices and attacked passersby both outside and inside the Eslite Spectrum Nanxi department store. During a subsequent police pursuit he fell or jumped from a building reported in one account as the sixth floor and was transported to hospital where he later died.

Hospitals initially received 11 injured, and the Central News Agency later reported six remained hospitalized with two patients in intensive care. Officials said the assailant carried at least one knife, described variously in reports as a sharp object or a long knife, and had deployed multiple smoke grenades. Authorities said the assaults were planned and that the suspect had set fires at other locations earlier in the day, and the premier described the incident as "a deliberate act." Motive has not been publicly established and investigators continue to piece together a timeline of the suspect’s movements and any prior history.

The attack has jolted Taipei during the peak holiday shopping period and prompted an immediate surge in police presence across the city. For retailers and property owners in Zhongshan, which depends on dense foot traffic during December, the incident threatens a short term decline in consumer confidence and sales as shoppers reconsider outings and some businesses temporarily limit hours. City officials face the immediate task of restoring security on public transit and in crowded commercial corridors while balancing the economic cost of heightened security measures.

Beyond next week’s effect on retail foot traffic, the episode is likely to renew debates over public safety policy, mental health interventions, and controls on weapons and explosive devices. Violent attacks of this nature are rare in Taiwan, but officials and urban planners will also weigh longer term investments in surveillance, emergency medical response and crowd management to reduce casualties if similar incidents occur.

Investigators have opened a criminal probe and police said they will release further details as evidence is processed and hospital reports are finalized. Authorities urged calm and asked the public to await official casualty tallies and statements.