Taiwan Metro Horror: Attacker's Parents Apologise As Police Probe Motive

The parents of a man accused of killing three people in a Taipei metro stabbing knelt in public to apologise, as police ruled out terrorism and continued probing the motive behind the deadly rampage.

The parents of a man accused of killing three people in a stabbing rampage in a Taiwan metro last week knelt and apologised on Tuesday, promising full cooperation with investigators. The 27-year-old, identified by his parents as Chang Wen, set off smoke bombs in Taipei's main metro station during rush hour on Friday evening before launching into a stabbing spree that also wounded 11 people. He was found dead later on Friday, with Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an saying he had apparently jumped off a nearby building.

His parents, wearing hats and face masks and whose names were not given, knelt outside a funeral parlour where an autopsy had been performed on his body and apologised for their son's actions.

"The heinous crimes committed by Chang Wen have caused serious harm to society and inflicted irreparable damage and suffering on the victims and their families," his father told reporters.

"We would like to apologise to everyone. We are sorry," he said, bowing and kneeling with his wife in footage broadcast live on Taiwan television.

"We will fully cooperate with the judicial investigation."

Police Rule Out Terrorism, Probe Motive

Police are still investigating a motive for the attack, which spanned Taipei's main station, an underground shopping district and another metro stop, but have "preliminarily" ruled out terrorism.

Officials said immediately after the rampage that the attack was "deliberate" but that the motive was unclear.

Police said they believe Chang had acted alone and planned to "randomly kill people".

Chang had served in the military but was discharged over driving under the influence of alcohol, according to police, who said he was wanted after he failed to report for reserve military training.

Chang, according to police, was jobless and relied on his family for financial support.

However, his parents did not respond when asked if he had likely used money they had given him to buy weapons or whether they would compensate victims.

Chang rented an apartment in the district near the main Taipei station in January and scouted the area in advance, officials said.

Investigators also found searches for "random killings" on Chang's iPad, including material related to a Taipei metro stabbing in 2014 when a man killed four people.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)