Taiwan attacker planned assault that killed 3 and injured 11, authorities say

A man with a knife and a smoke grenade attacked crowds indiscriminately in Taiwan's capital on Friday evening, killing at least three people and injuring nine others.

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwanese authorities said Saturday the suspect who killed three people and injured 11 others in knife and smoke-grenade attacks in the island’s capital had planned the assaults and set fires at other locations earlier in the day.

The suspect, identified as a 27-year-old man named Chang Wen, fell to his death from a department store building in Taipei after the attack on Friday.

The assaults shocked Taiwan, where violent crime is rare, prompting authorities to step up security at crowded spots and big events, including its New Year's Eve celebration that usually attracts many locals and tourists to an outdoor countdown.

Chang Jung-Hsin, director-general of the National Police Agency, said the suspect began a series of attacks at 3:40 p.m. local time, first setting fire to roads and causing damage to cars and motorbikes. He also set fire to where he lived.

The suspect later threw smoke grenades near two exits of the Taipei Main metro station and used a knife to fatally wound a person, Chang said. After the attack, the suspect took an underground path to return to the hotel where he was staying. Then he threw more smoke grenades and used his knife to kill another person outside the Eslite Spectrum Nanxi department store, the official said.