Two men have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a mass stabbing on a train left two people with life-threatening injuries.
At least nine more people were injured in the attack on a train from Doncaster to London King’s Cross on Saturday night.
Police made the arrests within eight minutes of the 999 call being made, Superintendent John Loveless from British Transport Police said.
Officers were deployed to Huntingdon station in Cambridgeshire after the first 999 report at 7.42 p.m. on Saturday and boarded the train.
Train stabbing latest: Terror threat level unchanged despite attack
Two men were brought into police custody “where they remain this morning”, Sup Loveless said.
He said they were being held at separate police stations and questioned on suspicion of attempted murder.
One is a 32-year-old male, a black British national, and the other is a 35-year-old man, a British national of Caribbean descent. Both were born in the UK.
In total, 11 people were treated in hospital – nine were initially reported as having life-threatening injuries. By late Sunday morning, two patients remained in a life-threatening condition, Sup Loveless told reporters at Huntingdon station.
“Following assessment and treatment, four – I’m thankful to say – have been discharged.”
Initial reports suggested a man with a large knife was shot with a Taser after going on a bloody rampage on the high-speed train after it left nearby Peterborough station.
There was “nothing to suggest that this is a terrorist incident”, Sup Loveless said, adding that the investigation would continue to examine the “motivations” which led to the attack.
“At this early stage, it would not be appropriate to speculate on the cause of this incident,” he added.
Counter-terrorism police were initially supporting the investigation.
Witnesses told Sky News the stabbings started a few minutes after the train left Peterborough and passengers sounded the emergency alarm.
Armed police, paramedics, air ambulances, and transport police were deployed to the train – the 6.25pm London North Eastern Railway (LNER) service between Doncaster and London King’s Cross.
Some told of people trampling over each other, and some hiding in the toilets to escape.
One told Sky News he saw one of the attackers being Tasered by police before being arrested.
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Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said it was an “appalling incident” and was “deeply concerning”.
“My thoughts are with all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services for their response,” he wrote on X.
The Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she was “deeply saddened” by the incident and urged the public to “avoid comment and speculation at this early stage”.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said on X: “Horrific scenes in Huntingdon, in what seems to be a brutal mass attack by two perpetrators.
“My thoughts are with all those injured or affected and the emergency services responding.”
‘Shocked and frightened’ passengers
Defence Secretary John Healey spoke to Sky News on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips and said he took the same train route just hours before the attack.
“It’s the service I use every week to get home to Rotherham, so I can’t begin to imagine how shocked and frightened those passengers were.”
Asked by Phillips if the attack has changed the UK’s terror threat level, he says no and that it remains “substantial” – meaning an attack is considered “likely”.
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‘Like a horror film’
Mayor of Huntingdon, Councillor Audrey McAdam, told Sky News she was “very emotional” after hearing about the stabbing and said it must have been like a “horror film” for the passengers.
“I’m still in shock… I’m very emotional, and as soon as I found out, I thought, ‘oh no’.
“I’m worried about the people actually in hospital at this moment… it’s something I never thought would ever happen around Huntingdon… it’s something so dreadful.
“But to live in that moment… it’s a horror film… complete horror. I just cannot imagine what the people must have [been] feeling… When you’re stuck on a train, what can you do? A moving train.”
An ‘incredible’ response from emergency services
Huntingdon MP Ben Obese-Jecty spoke to Sky News at the scene on Saturday night. He said: “When I first arrived here, I’ve simply never seen as big a response to an emergency incident as there was in terms of police, fire and ambulance.”
On Sunday morning, Mr Obese-Jecty spoke again about the “rapid, incredible response” and praised the “brave officers who came to try and neutralise that threat”.
The chief constable of Cambridgeshire Constabulary told him officers had been training for a similar emergency “only last week”. The MP also called for people to avoid guessing about the circumstances.
“I think also people need to keep cool heads at this time. I’ve seen an awful lot of speculation online and a lot of misinformation,” he added.
Read more:
‘They’ve got a knife’: Eyewitness recalls attack
How the attack unfolded
Watch: Moment armed police arrive at train stabbing
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David Horne, managing director of LNER, said the company was “deeply shocked and saddened”.
National Rail says some train routes to and from London King’s Cross on LNER, Great Northern and Thameslink services face disruption on Sunday.
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A spokesperson for the Rail, Maritime and Transport union also said they were “horrified” by the attack.
“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.”
