LONDON: Nine people sustained life-threatening injuries on the night of November 1 in a stabbing incident on a train in central England, which Prime Minister Keir Starmer described as “deeply concerning.”
Two individuals have been arrested in connection with the attack, which British Transport Police (BTP) initially classified as a “major incident.” Counterterrorism officers are assisting with the investigation. BTP also activated “Plato,” the national codeword for responding to a marauding terrorist attack, though it was later lifted. Police confirmed that 10 people were taken to the hospital, nine of whom suffered life-threatening injuries. No fatalities have been reported.
The incident occurred on a service travelling from Doncaster to London’s King’s Cross. Officers were alerted at 7:42 p.m., and armed police were deployed to Huntingdon station, where the train made an unscheduled stop and the two suspects were arrested. More than 12 hours after the incident, police had not released any details about the suspected attackers.
Britain’s Defence Minister, John Healey, told sources on that the attack appeared to be an “isolated incident.” Wren Chambers, a passenger on the train during the attack, told reporters she initially “heard some screaming and shouting” coming from a carriage or two away.
“A minute or so later, a man came running past with a deep wound, bleeding heavily from his arm,” Chambers recalled. “At first, I thought it was some kind of Halloween prank. But then he started shouting that someone had a knife, that he’d been stabbed.”
As more passengers began running through the carriages, Chambers grabbed her bag and coat. “I got up and moved further down the train with the others, just trying to get as far away as possible,” she said.
Another passenger, who identified himself only as Gavin, told Sky News he saw an “extremely bloodied” victim and believed he witnessed officers use a Taser on one of the suspects before making an arrest. He said police shouted “Get down, get down!” as they approached. “The man was waving a knife, quite a large one, before officers managed to detain him,” the eyewitness recalled. “I think it was a Taser that brought him down in the end.”
Another passenger, Olly Foster, told that he had been listening to an audiobook when the attack began. “A young girl was distraught as the attacker tried to stab her, but a heroic older man stepped in, taking a gash to his forehead and, I think, another to his neck,” he said.
Video shared on social media from the immediate aftermath showed a bloodied passenger running out of Huntingdon station as dozens of police and emergency vehicles with flashing blue lights surrounded the area. In one clip, armed officers were seen sprinting down the platform toward the front of a stationary train.
British Transport Police Chief Superintendent Chris Casey described it as “a shocking incident” and said his thoughts were with those injured and their families.
Emergency responders said they launched a large-scale operation following the stabbing attack, deploying multiple air ambulances to the scene.
In a statement on X, the East of England Ambulance Service said it had dispatched “numerous ambulances, tactical commanders, our Hazardous Area Response Team, and critical care teams” from several regional units.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she was “deeply saddened to hear about the stabbings” and that her “thoughts are with all those affected.” Mahmood added that she is receiving regular updates on the investigation and urged the public to avoid “speculation at this early stage” about the motive behind the attack.
London North Eastern Railway (LNER), which operates services on the East Coast Main Line, said it was “experiencing major disruption across the LNER route.” The East Coast Main Line is one of the UK’s busiest and most vital rail corridors, linking major cities from London King’s Cross to Edinburgh Waverley in Scotland.
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