A 27-year-old man named Zhang Wen killed three pedestrians and injured at least eleven more during a killing spree near Taipei's Zhongshan metro station on December 19, 2025.
Predmeditated
Police investigations revealed that Zhang had premeditated the attack. He set fires in Taipei before setting out to distract emergency responders and had stockpiled 25 Molotov cocktails and other explosives in his rented hotel room.
According to decrypted cloud documents by the police, Zhang had started planning as early as mid-year, writing an extensive 'crime plan document'.
Zhang had originally planned to use the Molotov cocktails alongside the smoke bombs to cause chaos along thedensely crowded storefront, forcing civilians into confined spaces and increasing the casualty count.
The Attack
However, on the night of the attack, just as Zhang was pushing a cart loaded with Molotov cocktails near the Taiepi Metro Station, he was stopped by a man surnamed Yu, who thought the scene looked unusual. The two men scuffled, during which a device in the cart was accidentally triggered, starting a fire. （Related： Taiwan Legislature Proposes to Remove Premiere, Hints at Impeaching President ｜ Latest ）
Although the fire scared surrounding pedestrians, it also prevented Zhang from obtaining the Molotov cocktails, forcing him to abandon his original plan and preventing a large-scale assault on the station's pedestrians. Metro police did not respond in time to the incident, allowing Zhang time to walk away.
