Police rules Taipei attacker acted alone, rules out accidental death

Taipei, Jan. 2 (CNA) A police investigation has found that the man who went on a stabbing spree in Taipei in late December acted alone and that his fall from a building that took his life was not an accident, but police remain stumped on what motivated the attacks.

The 27-year-old attacker, Chang Wen (張文), fell from the rooftop of the Eslite Spectrum Nanxi store near MRT Zhongshan Station on Dec. 19 after being pursued by police and was later pronounced dead.

Police found that he meticulously planned the attack and began buying supplies, including gas masks and smoke grenades, more than a year and a half ago.

Before the attack, Chang destroyed his laptop and left his bank account nearly empty, police said.

He chose the department store rooftop as his escape route, and the angle of his fall indicated it was not accidental, according to police.

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The source for some of the investigation's findings were files Chang had stored in the cloud, which showed he planned the attack meticulously and executed it almost step by step, while also indicating that he acted alone.

But the police said they still had not determined a clear motive behind Chang's actions despite the considerable amount of information they had studied.

The investigation, they said, looked into his school years, military service, and work history, and found no evidence that he had been bullied in school or the military. Police suggested that other factors may have contributed to his premeditated actions.

Police said the investigation is ongoing, and that its final report is expected to be released soon.

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