Nine suffer life-threatening injuries as UK terror police probe train stabbing
A forensic investigator on the platform by the train at Huntingdon train station in Cambridgeshire. Picture: Joe Giddens/PA Wire
British counter-terrorism police are involved in an investigation into a mass stabbing on a train which left nine people suffering with life-threatening injuries.
A man with a large knife is believed to have been shot with a Taser by police after going on a bloody rampage on a high speed train after it left Peterborough station in Cambridgeshire.
British Transport Police (BTP) said two people have been arrested over the stabbings which happened on the 6.25pm train service from Doncaster to London King’s Cross on Saturday.
Police said there have been no fatalities so far from the attacks which Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described as “deeply concerning”.
A tenth person suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
BTP said a major incident was declared, and at one point declared “Plato”, the national code word used by police and emergency services when responding to a “marauding terror attack”, before the latter declaration was subsequently rescinded.
Witnesses have spoken of seeing a man with a large knife and passengers hiding in the toilets to escape the rampage, reported.
One told the paper there was “blood everywhere” and people were getting “stamped” on by others as they tried to flee.
The witness said: “I heard some people shouting we love (you).”
said another witness described the attack as “like something from a film”, adding: “It was a terrible scene, really violent.”
One man, who gave his name as Gavin, told he believed he saw the suspect tasered before he was arrested.
He said: “Essentially, as they got closer to him, started shouting, like, get down get down.
“He then was waving a knife, quite a large knife, and then they detained him.
“I think it was a Taser that got him down in the end.”
Olly Foster told the BBC he initially heard people shouting “run, run, there’s a guy literally stabbing everyone”, and believed it might have been a prank related to Halloween.
Mr Foster said that people quickly started pushing through the carriage, and he noticed his hand was “covered in blood” as there was “blood all over the chair” he had leaned on.
An older man “blocked” the attacker from stabbing a younger girl, leaving him with injuries to his head and neck, Mr Foster said, adding other passengers used their clothing to try and stem the bleeding.
He said the incident “felt like forever”.
Video footage on social media showed scores of blue-light police cars and emergency vehicles in a station car park, and a team of armed police running towards the stationary train at Huntingdon station.
Officers wearing forensic suits, with a police dog, could be seen on the platform.
The attack is understood to have started shortly after the London North Eastern Railway (LNER) train left Peterborough station.
Chief Superintendent Chris Casey said: “This is a shocking incident and first and foremost my thoughts are with those who have been injured this evening and their families.
“We’re conducting urgent enquiries to establish what has happened, and it could take some time before we are in a position to confirm anything further.
“At this early stage it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident.
“Our response is ongoing at the station and will be for some time.
“Cordons are in place and trains are not currently running through the area, and there are also some road closures.”
MP for Huntingdon Ben Obese-Jecty called the incident “appalling and devastating”.
“My thoughts are with all those victims who were injured during this heinous attack,” he wrote on X.
“I would like to pay tribute to the incredible and immediate response of the emergency services, particularly the Response Officers from Cambridgeshire Constabulary who were first to arrive on the scene.”
LNER, which operates East Coast Mainline services in the UK, said disruption to its services between London Kings Cross and Lincoln, Doncaster, Leeds, Bradford Forster Square and Harrogate was expected to last until Monday, with passengers advised to defer their travel where possible.
David Horne, managing director of LNER, said in a statement: “We are deeply shocked and saddened by this serious incident, and our thoughts are very much with everyone involved.
“I would like to thank the emergency services for their quick and professional response and the care they have provided to those injured. Anyone with information who hasn’t already spoken to police is urged to contact British Transport Police.
“The safety and wellbeing of everyone affected will remain our priority. We will continue to do everything we can to support our customers and colleagues during this difficult time.”
A spokesperson for the Rail, Maritime and Transport union said: “We are horrified by the mass stabbing attack on an LNER train last night.
“Our thoughts remain with the train crew and passengers who were either at work or going about their business on a busy Saturday night during this awful incident.
“It is important we allow the emergency services and authorities to establish the full facts before commenting further.”
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