An eight-year-old girl who was knifed at an elementary school in Taipei has died, less than a day after she was randomly attacked by an intruder.
The girl, who was identified only by her surname Liu, died on Saturday morning. She had been in critical condition since she was rushed to a hospital early Friday evening.
Liu was found bleeding from her neck and unconscious on the floor of a school toilet. Her heart had stopped beating on arrival at the hospital, but doctors managed to restore some vital signs although she never regained consciousness.
The suspect is a 29-year-old man identified as Kung Chung-an. He alerted the police shortly after the attack and was arrested near the crime scene. Preliminary questioning by the police indicated that the suspect picked his victim simply because she was alone and away from the classroom.
On Saturday President Ma Ying-jeou said he was shocked by the incident. He also directed the Cabinet to step up security measures around schools.