Nine people are fighting for their lives after a mass stabbing on a train traveling from Doncaster to London King's Cross on Saturday evening. Police took ten people to hospital following the attack, which occurred on the 6:25pm service shortly after it departed Peterborough station. Police arrested two people and counter-terrorism officers are supporting the investigation.
Police response
British Transport Police responded at 7:42pm after passengers raised the alarm. Armed officers from Cambridgeshire Police boarded the train at Huntingdon station, where the service made an unscheduled stop.
Officers subdued a man wielding a large knife with a Taser, witnesses said. Gavin told Sky News: "Essentially, as they got closer to him, started shouting, like, get down get down. He then was waving a knife, quite a large knife, and then they detained him. I think it was a Taser that got him down in the end."
Scenes of chaos
Passengers described scenes of chaos and terror. Olly Foster told the BBC he heard people shouting: "run, run, there's a guy literally stabbing everyone". Foster described seeing passengers "covered in blood" with "blood all over the chair". The attack "felt like forever", he said.
In an act of bravery, an older man sustained serious head and neck injuries while shielding a younger girl from the attacker, witnesses reported.
Official response
Chief Superintendent Chris Casey said: "This is a shocking incident and first and foremost my thoughts are with those who have been injured this evening and their families." He emphasized it would be inappropriate to speculate on the causes at this early stage. Police initially declared "Plato" - the national code for a marauding terror attack - but later withdrew the designation.
Government reaction
Defence Secretary John Healey described the incident as "isolated" when speaking on Sky News on Sunday morning. He said: "The early assessment is that this was an isolated incident, an isolated attack. So there's no reason for the rest of us not to get on with our lives, get on and travel to the places we need to get to [...]"
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called the events "deeply concerning".
Travel disruption
London North Eastern Railway advised passengers to defer travel, with major disruption expected until Monday on services between London King's Cross and Lincoln, Doncaster, Leeds, Bradford Forster Square, and Harrogate.
LNER Managing Director David Horne said: "We are deeply shocked and saddened by this serious incident, and our thoughts are very much with everyone involved."
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
