Three killed, 25 wounded in Taiwan subway knife attack

A knife-wielding attacker went on a stabbing spree aboard a Taipei subway train Wednesday, killing three people and wounding 25 others, police said.

The man, a 21-year-old college student, was immediately arrested after the incident, the first fatal attack on the city’s subway system since it began operations in 1996, police said.

It was not immediately clear why the man launched the unexpected attack, police said.

The incident happened around 0800 GMT when the man began attacking travellers on a subway train outside Taipei, sending hundreds of people screaming and fleeing for help.

The victims were identified as one woman and two men, according to the police.

Television images showed pools of blood on the train and passengers who survived the attacks giving witness accounts.

After being alerted to the attacks, authorities immediately reinforced police deployment on the busy subway system, which transports around 1.85 million visitors per day.