Taipei: The primary source of income for a man who killed at least three people and injured 11 others in downtown Taipei attacks was his mother, as revealed by the Taipei City Police Department on Tuesday.
According to Focus Taiwan, the perpetrator, 27-year-old Chang Wen, was unemployed and had been isolated from human contact for months before the attack, raising questions about his financial support and how he acquired weapons and tools for the assaults. Lu Chun-hung, head of the department’s Criminal Investigation Division, disclosed that records from Chang’s postal savings account indicated his mother sent him quarterly remittances ranging from NT$30,000 (US$951) to NT$60,000. Additionally, she transferred a lump sum of NT$450,000 in March 2023, totaling around NT$820,000 from March 2023 to the present. Chang’s last known employment was as a security guard, a position he left in August 2023.
Lu further stated that Chang had nearly depleted his finances before his death, leaving only NT$39 in his savings account. The weapons and tools used in the attacks were purchased online, with police confiscating 13 knives, including three long knives priced between NT$2,300-NT$2,700 each, and 10 short knives priced around NT$600 each.
Police also noted that one of Chang’s mobile phones had an overdue fee of NT$2,000 and was primarily used for internet access, while his other phone had been disconnected since October 2024, only showing communication records with his landlord about rent payments. To uncover more evidence regarding Chang’s motives, police have enlisted a U.S. company to decode two tablets used in planning the assault and are working on decoding a burned laptop hard drive.
On the day of the attack, Chang threw smoke grenades at the MRT Taipei Main Station before moving to MRT Zhongshan Station, where he set off more grenades and stabbed passersby indiscriminately. He later fell to his death from the roof of a department store after being chased by police. Surveillance footage confirmed Chang acted alone.
The police also revealed that the day before the attack, Chang attempted to access the roof of the Eslite Spectrum to photograph a Christmas tree but was denied. Investigators concluded that Chang meticulously planned the attack, and authorities have requested public assistance in providing any relevant information about Chang’s contacts, finances, tools, or part-time jobs.
Meanwhile, Liao Lo-yu, captain of the Taipei City Police Department’s Rapid Transit Division, addressed concerns about gaps in police patrol deployment exposed by the attacks. Liao explained that the division manages security at 117 stations across Taipei and New Taipei with a team of 203 officers, including 168 in field duty. Officers are deployed using staggered, interlaced arrangements due to manpower constraints, and the division will continue to review and refine duty deployments to address potential gaps.