.png)
6 hours ago
3
Two men are in custody after multiple stabbings on a high-speed train in Cambridgeshire that left two people with life-threatening injuries, police have said.
A 32-year-old black British national and a 35-year-old Briton of Caribbean descent have been arrested, British Transport Police have said, after the incident on Saturday night after which 11 people were treated in hospital.
Police said there was nothing to suggest it was a terrorist incident and have asked the public to come forward with any more information.
One of the men, brandishing a large knife, is believed to have been shot with a Taser by police at Huntingdon train station in Cambridgeshire, eastern England. The train was the 6.25pm service from Peterborough to King’s Cross in central London.
British Transport Police (BTP) declared a major incident and said two people had been arrested after the train was diverted and made an emergency stop at Huntingdon station.
Supt John Loveless told reporters at the scene in Huntingdon on Sunday: “At approximately 7.42pm yesterday evening, there were calls to the police service in relation to multiple stabbings which took place onboard a train service.
“Officers immediately attended Huntington station alongside paramedics, where armed police officers from Cambridgeshire police boarded the train and arrested two people within eight minutes of the 999 call being made.
“Two men were brought into police custody, where they remain this morning.”
Eleven people had been treated in hospital and two remained in a life-threatening condition, while four people had been discharged, Loveless said.
“Ten people were taken to hospital by ambulance and another person self-presented later that evening.
“While nine were initially believed to have life-threatening injuries, following assessment and treatment, four, thankful to say, have been discharged. However, two patients remain in a life-threatening condition.”
The LNER train left Doncaster in South Yorkshire at 6.25pm. About an hour later, witnesses described scenes of panic on the uncrowded train as bloodied passengers began to run through carriages warning others of the attack.
Olly Foster said he was in coach H listening to Audible on his phone when a man ran past warning passengers of a man “stabbing everyone, everything”.
“At first I thought: ‘Is it a joke, it’s Halloween, are they pranking?’ But you could see in their faces that this was serious,” he said.
Foster said that as he moved through the train, he saw patches of blood on seats and a man who had been slashed in the head and neck while protecting a young woman from an attack. “We were giving him jackets to keep pressure on the blood,” he told the BBC.
Police said they received the first distress calls at 7.39pm and the train was forced to make an unscheduled stop in Huntingdon at 7.50pm.
The incident was initially declared “Plato”, the national codeword used by police and emergency services when responding to a “marauding terror attack”, but the declaration was later rescinded.
Dozens of ambulances and police officers were waiting at platform 2 for the wounded and to apprehend the suspects, witnesses said.
Footage on social media shows five police officers tackling a suspect to the ground as he appears to shout: “Kill me, kill me.”
John Healey, the defence secretary, said there was “no reason for the rest of us not to get on with our lives”, as he described the early assessment of the mass stabbing as an “isolated attack”.
He told Sky News: “The early assessment is that this was an isolated incident, an isolated attack. So there’s no reason for the rest of us not to get on with our lives, get on and travel to the places we need to get to.
“But those sorts of conclusions, those further assessments and that information will be provided to the public as soon as we’ve got them.”
King Charles, in a message released by Buckingham Palace, said: “My wife and I were truly appalled and shocked to hear of the dreadful knife attack that took place onboard a train in Cambridgeshire last night.
“Our deepest sympathy and thoughts are with all those affected, and their loved ones. We are particularly grateful to the emergency services for their response to this awful incident.”
The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, paid tribute to the bravery of staff and passengers on the train and confirmed the attack was not being treated as terrorism.
She wrote on social media: “After last night’s horrific attack, my thoughts today are with the victims, their friends and family. My deepest thanks go to the British Transport Police, Cambridgeshire police, Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service and the East of England ambulance service. They responded rapidly, with the utmost professionalism and saved lives.
“I would also like to pay tribute to the exceptional bravery of staff and passengers on the train.
“We now know this attack is not being treated as terrorism, and that two British-born, British nationals have been arrested. The investigation is ongoing, and I am receiving regular updates from the police.”
Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, said there would be “a high visibility presence” of police at stations and on trains to reassure the public.
