Authorities say multiple people were injured in a stabbing attack aboard a moving train in England. A British man is in custody as investigators establish motive and timeline.
Britain was left shocked on Saturday evening after a mass stabbing on a train carrying passengers through central England toward London. Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the attack “deeply concerning.”
Nine people suffered life-threatening injuries. By Sunday evening, one victim was still fighting for his life in hospital. British Transport Police (BTP) described the event as a “major incident.”
Two suspected attackers were detained within minutes of the first emergency call. By Sunday evening, BTP said only one person is now being treated as a suspect.
A 32-year-old British man remains in custody on suspicion of attempted murder, the force said. A 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent has been released with no further action.
Police are working to determine a motive but previously said that there is no evidence to suggest the attack is terror-related.
Here’s what we know about the stabbing attack.
“One violent act won’t define us;
Anonymous
how we respond will.”
What went wrong?
A high-speed London North Eastern Railway (LNER) service left Doncaster at 6:25 p.m. local time on Saturday, bound for London. The attack began shortly after the train pulled out of Peterborough station in Cambridgeshire.
Passenger Wren Chambers told the BBC she first heard “screaming and shouting” coming from a carriage or two away. Moments later, a man ran down the aisle with what she described as a “very clear wound,” bleeding heavily from his arm. As more people rushed past, Chambers grabbed her bag and coat and moved forward through the train, trying to put as much distance as possible between herself and the chaos.
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Passengers streamed through the carriages looking for safety. Some locked themselves inside the train’s toilets, according to witnesses who said they saw seats soaked in blood.
Police received the first emergency call at around 7:42 p.m. local time and immediately dispatched armed officers to the scene. Within eight minutes, two suspects were taken into custody after the train made an unplanned stop at Huntingdon station.
According to reports from PA Media, armed officers were seen sprinting down the platform, evacuating passengers while working to neutralize any potential threat.
An eyewitness named Gavin told Sky News that he saw one of the men initially believed to be involved being subdued by a police Taser. “They got closer, shouting ‘get down, get down,’ and I think it was a Taser that got him down in the end,” he said.
By Sunday morning, the train remained stationary at Huntingdon station, with medical kits and other debris scattered across the platform as forensic teams continued their investigation.
The victims?
Eleven people were treated in hospital. Ten were taken by ambulance, nine of them in life-threatening condition, and another patient arrived later that evening on their own.
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By Sunday evening, one person remained in hospital in a life-threatening condition, British Transport Police said. The man is an LNER staff member who was on the train and tried to stop the attacker.
“Detectives have reviewed the CCTV from the train and it is clear his actions were nothing short of heroic and undoubtedly saved many people’s lives,” the statement said.
Little other information has been given at this stage about the victims, including their ages.
Eyewitnesses have reported seeing people with stab wounds and heavy bleeding.
Who is behind the attack?
Two people were arrested on Saturday evening on suspicion of attempted murder. By Sunday night, police said one of the men had been released after officers confirmed he was not involved.
The man still in custody is a 32-year-old Black British national from Peterborough, where he boarded the train shortly before the attack. He is now being treated as the sole suspect.
“Our investigation is moving at pace and we are confident we are not looking for anyone else in connection to the incident,” BTP Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Cundy said in a statement on Sunday evening.
“As would be expected, specialist detectives are looking into the background of the suspect we have in custody and the events that led up to the attack,” he added.
