Man stabs passengers on Taiwan train on 10th anniversary of deadly subway stabbing spree

A knife-wielding man attacked and injured at least two passengers on a train in central Taiwanese city Taichung on May 21, reported Central News Agency (CNA) in Taiwan.

He has been arrested but his motives are not immediately clear, said Taichung City Police Department Commissioner Lee Wen-chang, adding that investigations are ongoing.

The incident took place on the 10th-year anniversary of a deadly stabbing spree on a Taipei train on May 21, 2014. Four people were killed and 24 others were injured.

The lone attacker, a 21-year-old college student, was executed in 2016.

In the Taichung incident, an eyewitness told CNA that the attacker suddenly pulled out a knife to stab a man closest to him.

The weapon was snatched away from him but he took out a second knife.

Other passengers tried to stop him, with some hitting him on the head and another prying open his hand to remove the knife, the news agency added.

He was eventually subdued and handed over to Taichung City Hall station staff.

A 17-year-old suffered cuts on his chest, shoulder and arm, while a 27-year-old man had a 15cm slash wound stretching from his cheek to his jaw, according to the report. They were taken to the hospital.

The attacker, whose fingers were injured, was also sent to the hospital.

He hails from Kaohsiung in the south of Taiwan and is studying nursing, according to a local report. He also has a record of mental health illness, it added.

Three knives were seized at the scene, according to local reports.