Taiwanese President calls for an investigation after attacks that killed three in Taipei

(20 Dec 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Taipei, Taiwan - 20 December 2025
1. Pan down to pedestrians crossing the road outside department store where Friday night's knife attack took place
2. Various of pedestrians crossing the road
3. Various of police standing guard near entrance of a metro station
4. Wide of President Lai Ching-te arriving at the news conference
5. Wide of Chang Jung-hsin, Director-General of the National Police Agency speaking
6. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Chang Jung-hsin, Director-General of the National Police Agency:
"The suspect committed a series of crimes between 3:40 PM and 6:50 PM on the 19th. First, between 3:40 PM and 3:54 PM, the suspect set fires near Linsen North Road and Chang'an East Road."
7. Wide of the news conference
8. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Chang Jung-hsin, Director-General of the National Police Agency:
"The suspect's random attacks at two locations, a Taipei MRT station and an Eslite Department Store, have resulted in the deaths of four people, including the suspect, and injuries to 11 others."
9. Pan right of officials listening
10. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Lai Ching-te, Taiwan's President:
"I hope the task force we have established conducts a comprehensive and in-depth investigation into the suspect's background, motives, whether there were accomplices, and whether he was acting under someone else's instructions. We must expand our investigation into this case."
11. Wide of news conference
12. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Lai Ching-te, Taiwan's President:
"We need to strengthen the capabilities of rapid response crime-fighting units with police departments in various counties and cities. Once a message is received, the rapid response units must arrive as quickly as possible and be capable of stopping any attack."
13. Wide of pedestrians walking past the arcade where the suspect attacked with a knife
14. Various of passerby placing flowers at the site where the victims were attacked to pay their respects
STORYLINE:
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te convened a high-level press conference at the National Police Agency on Saturday, following a series of violent attacks that rocked the capital on Friday night.

Lai called for a rigorous probe into the background of the suspect and ordered an upgrade to the police force’s rapid response capabilities.

President Lai announced the establishment of a specialized task force to untangle the details of the incident.

He emphasized the investigation must go beyond the immediate events of Friday evening.

“We need to strengthen the capabilities of rapid response crime-fighting units with police departments in various counties and cities. Once a message is received, the rapid response units must arrive as quickly as possible and be capable of stopping any attack,” he told officials.

Taiwanese authorities said the suspect who killed three people and injured 11 others in knife and smoke grenade attacks in the island's capital had planned the assaults and set fires at two other locations earlier in the day.

The suspect, identified as a 27-year-old man named Chang Wen, fell to his death from a department store building in Taipei after the attack on Friday.

The assaults shocked Taiwan, where violent crime is rare, prompting authorities to step up security at crowded spots and big events, including its New Year’s Eve celebration that attracts many locals and tourists to an outdoor countdown.


The suspect later threw smoke grenades near two exits of the Taipei Main metro station and used a knife to fatally wound a person, Chang said.




AP video by Johnson Lai



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