Suspect in Taichung metro attack to be investigated for attempted murder

Taipei, May 21 (CNA) A man who wounded three passengers in an apparent random knife attack on a Taichung Mass Rapid Transit (TMRT) train on Tuesday morning is to be investigated by prosecutors for attempted murder, according to the city's police department.

A report was received at around 11:17 a.m. that a man was attacking passengers with a knife at Taichung City Hall Station, the department said at a press conference.

When officers arrived at the scene, three individuals were found wounded, two of whom were later taken to hospital for treatment, while the third person suffered only a minor wound and did not seek immediate medical attention, police said.

The attacker had a laceration on his right thumb and was taken to hospital under police surveillance.

One kitchen knife and two fruit knives were recovered from the scene, police said, indicating that the male suspect is a Kaohsiung resident who traveled to Taichung on Monday and stayed at a motel in Xitun District.

His family was unaware that he was in Taichung and made their way to the city after being informed of the incident.

The Taichung District Prosecutors Office has been notified of the case, police said, adding that the suspect will be investigated on suspicion of attempted murder.

According to Huang Yung-chen (黃永鎮), a physician at Lin Shin Hospital, one of the victims was a 27-year-old man with a 9-centimeter slash to his face, while another was an 17-year-old male with cuts to his chest, shoulder and arm.

Both the victims did not suffer any nerve damage, Huang said.

According to Taichung police, meanwhile, the 17-year-old was taken to an intensive care ward for observation after undergoing wound-suturing surgery.

Taichung police commissioner Lee Wen-chang (李文章) told Taichung city councilors later in the day that the investigation is currently focused on whether the attack was random.

Meanwhile, operations at Taichung City Hall Station have been fully restored after the TMRT announced earlier in the day that two-way traffic between Wenxin Chongde and Wenxin Yinghua stations was merged into a single track.

Elsewhere in Kaohsiung and Taipei, mass rapid transit operators also beefed up the police presence across their networks and instructed staff to remain on high alert as a precautionary measure following the incident in Taichung.