Taiwan awoke Saturday to a grim irony that unfolded beneath its busiest transit hub: a man who had evaded reserve military service used tactics associated with combat to turn a rush-hour metro into a killing ground.

President Lai Ching-te pledged a full and public inquiry after a 27-year-old suspect set off smoke bombs inside Taipei’s main metro station Friday evening, then went on a stabbing spree that killed three people and wounded at least 11 others. 

The attack stretched from the central station to an underground shopping area and another metro stop, sowing panic across one of the city’s most crowded corridors.

Police identified the suspect by his family name, Chang, and said he had previously served in the military but was discharged over drunk driving.

Authorities also said he was wanted for failing to report for reserve service — a detail that sharpened public reaction after he used smoke bombs, a device more commonly associated with military or tactical operations.

The suspect later died after jumping from a building to evade arrest, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an said, in what officials described as an apparent suicide.

Officials characterized the assault as a “deliberate act,” though the motive remains under investigation. Police Chief Chang Jung-hsin said initial findings suggest the suspect acted alone and followed a plan to attack people at random.

The Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs was yet to issue a statement over the weekend on whether Filipinos were among the casualties.

Transparency assured

Eyewitness accounts underscored the terror. Louis, a 36-year-old finance worker, said he encountered the suspect at Zhongshan station shortly after reports of the first attack.

“I saw him walking to the middle of the road. I wondered why he was crouching there, and then I saw him throw a smoke bomb,” Louis told AFP. “When he threw it, I felt something was wrong, so I turned around and ran.”

“There were a lot of people there at the time, and it was very chaotic,” he added. “I still feel shaken.”

Visiting victims in the hospital, President Lai expressed condolences and promised transparency.

At a police briefing later Saturday, Lai called for tighter emergency protocols and faster response times, saying rapid response units must be “trained and equipped for counter-terrorism operations” to protect civilians.

Violent crime is rare in Taiwan. The last comparable metro attack occurred in 2014, when a man killed four people in a stabbing spree.

In the aftermath, Metro Taipei shut down a Christmas market near Zhongshan station, the site of the second wave of the attack. The market will remain closed for three days in honor of the victims.