Taiwan metro attacker’s parents apologise for their son’s actions

Chang Wen stabbed 14 people, three of them fatally, before falling to his own death from a nearby building

The parents of the man accused of carrying out last week’s fatal stabbing attack in Taipei appeared in public on Tuesday to apologise.

Outside a funeral parlour where an autopsy on their son had just been completed, the parents of 27-year-old Chang Wen knelt before television cameras and bowed repeatedly. They apologised to the public and to the families of those who were killed or injured in the attack.

Police say Chang carefully planned his attack on Taipei Main Station during peak commuting hours before falling to his death from a nearby building. At least three victims died and another 11 were injured.

Wearing hats and face masks and declining to give their names, Chang’s parents said they would fully cooperate with the authorities as investigations into the attack continue.

“The heinous crimes that Chang Wen committed brought harm to society and inflicted irreparable harm and pain to the families of the victims,” they said.

“We want to apologise to everyone once again,” the middle-aged couple added and knelt down on the ground and bowed thrice before the camera.

Officials have described Friday evening’s attack as premeditated but say they have not identified a clear motive.

Police have preliminarily ruled out terrorism and believe Chang acted alone, with investigators suggesting he intended to “randomly kill people”.

Flowers and notes from the public are laid for the victims of the metro attack outside a mall in Taipei on 20 December 2025. Taiwan’s president Lai Ching-te pledged a full, public enquiry into a deadly metro stabbing attack as he visited victims in the hospital on 20 December (AFP via Getty Images)

Searches of his digital devices uncovered online material related to random attacks, including references to a fatal metro stabbing in Taipei in 2014.

Police said Chang had previously served in the military but was discharged after a drink-driving offence and was later wanted for failing to attend reserve training. He was unemployed and relied financially on his family, according to investigators.

Authorities said he rented an apartment near Taipei Main Station earlier this year and surveyed the area ahead of the attack.

As Chang’s parents apologised, attention has also turned to the suffering of the victims’ families. Among those killed was Yu Chia-chang, 57, who died after confronting the attacker in an apparent attempt to stop further violence.

Yu’s mother, surnamed Huang, said: “That day, I kept waiting and waiting. He never came back and he didn’t message me on Line (a Taiwan-based communications app), that’s when I got nervous,” she said, according to Taiwan Television (TTV).

Despite her loss, Ms Huang urged the public not to direct anger at Chang’s parents. It was a comfort to know that her own son saved many people, she said, before adding: “But as a mother, my heart hurts.”

Taiwan’s legislature has moved to honour Yu for confronting the attacker, crediting him with helping prevent further casualties, while Taipei’s city government will also posthumously commend him for his bravery.