Man sentenced to 10 years for stabbing attack on Taichung MRT

[Story update]

Taichung, Dec. 26 (CNA) A 20-year-old man surnamed Hung (洪) was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Thursday for attempted murder and endangering public safety, after he went on a rampage on a Taichung Metro train in May, stabbing two passengers.

Hung did not appear at Thursday's hearing when the verdict was handed down by the Taichung District Court in the first trial of the case.

According to prosecutors, the incident occurred on May 21, when Hung used three knives to randomly attack passengers on a Taichung MRT train, injuring two people, before he was subdued by other passengers.

During the investigation, Hung told prosecutors that he was dissatisfied with the state of Taiwan's society and wanted to make a statement by killing someone, prosecutors said.

He chose to carry out the assault on the 10th anniversary of the Taipei Metro attack, during which a passenger named Cheng Chieh (鄭捷) killed four people and injured 22 in a stabbing frenzy on a Taipei MRT train on May 21, 2014.

After prosecutors' investigation, Hung was charged with attempted murder and intimidating the public.

The guilty verdict and 10-year prison sentence imposed Thursday by the Taichung District Court can be appealed.