Attacks at metro stations in Taipei on Friday involving smoke bombs and stabbings killed at least three people, the Taiwanese city’s fire department said, adding that the suspect was also dead.

Taiwan’s Premier Cho Jung-tai said the attacks at Taipei Main Station and Zhongshan Station were “a deliberate act”, although the motive was not immediately clear.

Cho said in a statement that the suspect wore a mask and threw “five or six gasoline bombs or smoke grenades” at Taipei Main Station.

According to the Taipei City Fire Department, a total of four people were confirmed dead, including the suspect, a 27-year-old man. Five other people were injured, it added.

The city’s mayor said the suspect had apparently jumped off a building and that he was wanted for evading military service.

One of the victims was killed while trying to stop the attack at the Main Station, Mayor Chiang Wan-an told reporters.

“Unfortunately, he was attacked and passed away … we are all deeply saddened,” he said.

A witness of the attack at the Main Station told local network EBC News that he had seen a “man rush up and try and subdue” the attacker, who was “wearing a gas mask and a bulletproof vest”.

“At first I thought it was a drill, then I saw a person holding a knife and throwing smoke grenades,” said the witness, who did not give his name.

The mayor said that “we understand that the suspect committed suicide by jumping from a building to evade arrest, and has been confirmed dead.”

High alert

A second witness told EBC News that “someone ran out wearing a gas mask and started throwing canisters that released gas.

“I quickly ran away. He kept throwing them behind me. I didn’t count how many (canisters) but there was a constant banging and clanging sound,” added the witness, who also did not give his name.

“I didn’t hear any explosions, but a lot of gas kept spraying out.” Cho, the island’s premier, earlier said three people suffered cardiac arrest as a result of the attacks, and several people had “injuries from stab wounds and blunt force trauma to various parts of their bodies”.

Authorities said they were ramping up security across the island in response to the attacks.

“All important locations… including railway stations, highways, subway stations and airports are maintaining a high level of alert and vigilance,” Cho told reporters.

Images released by Taiwan’s Central News Agency show a canister on the ground at the Main Station, with officers examining potential evidence at the scene.

A video posted on social media shows a thick cloud of white smoke covering an underground section of a metro station, with some people standing at a distance.

President Lai Ching-te said Taiwanese authorities will “quickly clarify the details of the case. There will be no leniency and we will do everything in our power to ensure the safety of our citizens.”

Violent crime is rare in Taiwan, though an attack in 2014 horrified the normally peaceful island when a man went on a stabbing spree on Taipei’s metro, killing four people. He was executed for the killings in 2016.