Ten people were hospitalized, nine of whom “could be in danger of death”, after a stabbing on a train heading to London, in eastern England, on Saturday, according to police who arrested two people.
Police were alerted to an incident on board a train at around 7:40 p.m. local time (and GMT), after the activation of the alarm system, and intervened at Huntingdon station, located in the area of the university city of Cambridge, about 120 kilometers north of the capital.
“The attack has been declared a serious incident and counter-terrorism police are assisting with the investigation as we work to establish the full circumstances of the incident,” Transport Police added.
“Extremely worrying”
No details were immediately provided about the identity of the victims or suspects. Police had previously indicated that “several people were stabbed” and “two people arrested” for this attack described as “extremely worrying” by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Witnesses interviewed by The Times newspaper said they saw a man armed with a large knife and passengers hiding in the train’s toilets for protection.
A witness quoted by several media outlets said he saw a man run towards the carriage, his arm bloodied, shouting: “They have a knife!” Another reported seeing “blood everywhere.” Even before these testimonies emerged, Prime Minister Keir Starmer had described the incident as “extremely worrying”.
“My thoughts are with all those affected and I thank the emergency services for their response,” he said, advising people in the area of the attack to “follow the instructions of the police.”
“National crisis”
Regional emergency services said they had mobilized “a significant response” at Huntingdon station. The train where the attack occurred left at 6:25 p.m. coming from the town of Doncaster (northern England), bound for the London station of King’s Cross, reported the British Transport Police.
The London North Eastern Railway (LNER), which operates rail routes in the east of England and Scotland, has asked travelers to avoid all travel, predicting “major disruption”.
In a country where firearms legislation is very strict, knife violence has increased significantly over the last fifteen years in England and Wales, according to official figures. The Prime Minister has in the past described the situation as a “national crisis”.
Starmer’s government has taken several steps to restrict access to edged weapons since coming to power in July 2024. Nearly 60,000 of them have been seized or recovered by police in ten years, Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood said on Wednesday.
The minister said on Saturday afternoon she was “deeply saddened” by the attack in Cambridgeshire, confirming the arrest of two suspects.
This attack comes a month after the attack on a synagogue north of Manchester, where a man attacked worshipers armed with a knife. Two people died, one of them shot by the police who responded to the scene.
Source: BFM TV
