British authorities have officially charged Anthony Williams, a 32-year-old man from Peterborough, with 10 counts of attempted murder. These charges stem from a horrific stabbing spree that unfolded on a London-bound train on Saturday, leaving 11 people with serious injuries.
In a statement, the Crown Prosecution Service revealed that Williams is also accused of an additional count of attempted murder and possessing a knife at Pontoon Dock DLR, an east London train station, earlier the same day. This marks the first official mention of a prior incident involving the suspect, though further specifics were not disclosed.
Officials have stated they do not believe the Saturday evening attack was linked to terrorism. However, they have yet to offer a potential motive for the violent rampage, which forced the train, traveling from northern England towards London, to make an emergency stop.
Tracy Easton, the chief crown prosecutor, affirmed the thoroughness of the investigation: “We worked closely with British Transport Police to review a huge volume of evidence including CCTV. The number of charges will be kept under review as this continues to progress.”
Initially, police reported the arrest of two men in connection with the attack on Sunday morning. However, an updated statement later clarified that one of the individuals had been mistakenly identified by witnesses and was not involved in the incident.
Of the 11 people wounded, five have since been released from the hospital. Tragically, one individual remains in “life-threatening condition” as of Sunday evening. Authorities identified this critically injured person as a London North Eastern Railway staff member who valiantly attempted to intervene and stop the assailant during the attack.
The British Transport Police lauded the staff member’s bravery, stating, “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.”
John Loveless, the superintendent of the British Transport Police, emphasized the ongoing nature of the investigation: “At this stage, there is nothing to suggest that this is a terrorist incident. We continue to work to establish the full circumstances and motivation for this incident. At this early stage, it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident.”
Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Cundy assured the public that the investigation is proceeding rapidly and confidently, stating, “we are confident we are not looking for anyone else in connection to the incident.”
This latest incident contributes to a recent unsettling series of stabbings across Britain, heightening public concern. Just last month, a synagogue attack in Manchester on Yom Kippur resulted in one fatality and several injuries. Furthermore, a 22-year-old man was recently charged with murder and attempted murder following a triple stabbing in a west London suburb that claimed the life of a man walking his dog.
Britain’s leaders were swift to condemn Saturday’s train attack.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed his deep concern in a social media statement, conveying his thoughts to all affected and his gratitude to the emergency services for their rapid response.
John Healey, the country’s defense secretary, revealed on BBC’s “Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg” that he and his wife had traveled on the same train line just hours before the attack. He encouraged Britons to remain vigilant but stressed that they should continue to feel safe in their daily lives.
“For now, the early reports suggest this was an isolated incident,” Healey stated. “So from the public’s point of view, there’s no reason not to continue traveling.”
David Horne, the managing director of the rail line, conveyed the company’s profound shock and sorrow. “Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected, particularly our colleague who remains in a life-threatening condition, and their family,” Mr. Horne said.
Passengers aboard the train recounted terrifying moments as the incident unfolded while the train sped toward London’s King’s Cross station.
Olly Foster, one of the passengers, shared his account with the BBC and on social media. “We ran from the back of the train to the end as everyone was screaming to run, explaining there was somebody stabbing everyone and everything,” Mr. Foster wrote. “There was blood on the top of countless chairs, coming from 2 of the guys who had been severely stabbed ahead of me.”
Foster and other witnesses described a chaotic scene as passengers flooded onto the platform immediately after the train’s emergency stop, where fellow travelers and paramedics rushed to assist the wounded.
Transport police confirmed that the initial reports of the attack came in at 7:42 p.m. regarding the 6:25 p.m. service from Doncaster, in northern England, bound for London. Train engineers executed an emergency stop at Huntingdon, where armed officers from Cambridgeshire Police quickly boarded the train.
Mr. Loveless highlighted the swift police response, noting that the two initial arrests were made “within eight minutes” of the first emergency call in Britain.
He concluded by reassuring the public: “Passengers will see a high visibility presence of police officers at stations and on trains throughout today who are there to reassure the public and respond to any concerns.”