Prosecutors seek to detain suspect in MRT knife attack

Taipei, Nov. 9 (CNA) The New Taipei District Prosecutors Office on Saturday night filed a motion to detain a woman who randomly attacked a senior high school student with a utility knife on a Taipei Metro train late Friday.

After questioning by prosecutors, the woman was found to be at risk of repeatedly harming others and posed a flight risk, the prosecutors argued in asking the New Taipei District Court to detain her.

Nov. 10: Court approves detention of suspect in MRT knife attack

According to New Taipei police, the incident occurred near the MRT Xinpu Station at around 10:17 p.m. when a passenger was injured on a Bannan line train heading toward Dingpu.

Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, who is in her early 40s and surnamed Wang (王), she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer.

Also read: MRT knife attack suspect transferred to prosecutors after injuring student

The injured student, who sustained a roughly 3-centimeter cut on his face, was taken to Far Eastern Memorial Hospital for treatment and is in stable condition after being bandaged by emergency medical personnel at the scene, police said.

According to the 17-year-old student, he did not know Wang, police said.

After making a statement early Saturday morning, the victim's family requested that the suspect be charged with attempted murder, police said.

Witnesses said on social media that many people were screaming, running and falling on the train car during the attack, making the scene "resemble a zombie movie."

According to Chinese-language newspaper United Daily News, Wang is a repeat offender who had previously been involved in arguments at MRT stations.

She is suspected of suffering from auditory hallucinations and allegedly attacked the student after suspecting he had spoken ill of her, the newspaper reported.