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He reportedly came from a financially stable family.
December 24, 2025, 09:58 AM
Chang Wen, the Taipei metro attacker who died on Dec. 19 after he threw smoke bombs and attacked members of the public with a knife, reportedly only had NT$39 (S$1.59) in his bank account before the attacks.
According to TVBS World Taiwan, Taiwanese authorities disclosed the information on Dec. 22 amid investigations into the 27-year-old’s finances to determine his motives for the attack.
Chang also received quarterly financial support from his mother in 2024, reported Taipei Times.
Finances “worsened” despite stable income, savings and mother’s remittances
Taiwanese police confirmed that in 2024, Chang received NT$30,000 (approximately S$1,224) in remittances every quarter from his mother.
He had also saved over NT$90,000 (S$3,672) by early 2024 while working as a security guard after getting discharged from the air force for drink driving.
Based on records from June 2023 to June 2024, Chang earned over NT$40,000 (approximately S$1,631) per month, including overtime and allowances.
However, police found that his financial situation had worsened in the period leading up to the attack.
Investigators also identified 14 irregular cash deposits in his bank account over the past two years.
It was believed that Chang had depended on part-time work to cover his NT$17,000 (S$693) monthly rent.
Family has stable income
Chang had relied on allowances from his mother after quitting his security job.
His mother is reportedly an accountant, and his father is an engineer.
Despite coming from an apparently stable family, he had not been in contact with his parents for over two years and had not seen his brother in Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s southern port city, for five years.
According to Taipei Times, authorities said Chang’s attack was “meticulously planned”.
He had allegedly started buying supplies more than 18 months prior.
He had also purportedly changed disguises five times and used three different modes of transport — on foot, by scooter and on a bicycle.
CCTV footage shared by TVBS World Taiwan on X showed Chang in one metro station wearing a coat, before disrobing and throwing smoke bombs from behind a pillar in the station.
He was also seen wearing a khaki shirt while exiting the station.
Taiwan’s police revealed Monday that Taipei knife attacker Chang Wen meticulously planned Friday’s rampage for months, spending over NT$5,700 (around US$181) on hotel stays and changing outfits.
★ ★ pic.twitter.com/kvCVmVC7u1
— TVBS World Taiwan (@tvbsworldtaiwan) December 22, 2025
Chang had reportedly surveyed the area beforehand to learn its layout, allowing him to carry out the attacks and make a swift escape.
Following the attack, three people died, and several others were injured.
Chang died after falling from the roof of a six-storey department store while being chased by police.
Top photos via Chang Wen/Facebook & TVBS World Taiwan/X
