Ten people are in hospital, with nine currently fighting for their lives, after a stabbing spree on a train in Cambridgeshire on Saturday night.
Two people have been arrested, with police reportedly tasering one man carrying a large knife on a train platform. Police have declared a ‘major incident’ with counter-terrorism officers investigating to establish a motive.
The incident is believed to have taken place on the 18.25 London North Eastern Railway service travelling from Doncaster to King’s Cross. Witnesses said that the stabbing began shortly after the train left Peterborough at 19.30.
There are reports of people hiding in the train toilets to escape, with ‘blood everywhere’, and people being stamped on as they tried to escape. One man told Sky News that he saw a victim moving down the train saying: ‘They’ve got a knife, I’ve been stabbed.’ They added that the man was ‘extremely bloodied’ and on the floor by the time the train stopped. ‘They were taken to an ambulance pretty much straight away.’ One witness, Olly Foster, told the BBC that an older man was bleeding from the head and neck after he ‘blocked’ the attacker from stabbing a younger girl. The victims are currently being treated at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.
At 19.40 last night the police received the first calls about the incident. The train then made an unscheduled stop at Huntingdon station, around 15 minutes from Peterborough, where armed officers from Cambridgeshire police and emergency workers boarded the train.
At one point operation ‘Plato’ was declared – the code word used by police and emergency services for responding to a ‘marauding terror attack’. This was later rescinded. The Defence Secretary John Healey said the UK threat level remains unchanged and ‘the early assessment is that this was an isolated incident, an isolated attack.’
British Transport Police chief superintendent Chris Casey said, ‘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.’ A BTP news conference will take place at 10 a.m.
In a statement on X, the Prime Minister, said: ‘The appalling incident on a train near Huntingdon is deeply concerning. My thoughts are with all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services for their response.’
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: ‘I am deeply saddened to hear about the stabbings in Huntingdon. My thoughts go out to all those affected. Two suspects have been immediately arrested and taken into custody. I am receiving regular updates on the investigation. I urge people to avoid comment and speculation at this early stage.’
Kemi Badenoch said: ‘This is an absolutely horrific attack and my thoughts are with all those affected including the emergency responders at the scene.’
