Two British men have been apprehended on suspicion of attempted murder following a brutal stabbing spree on a train en route to London. The attack resulted in 11 people being hospitalized with serious injuries, authorities confirmed Sunday morning.
An image shows a police officer at Huntingdon Station in England on Sunday, near the train where the attack unfolded. Credit: Jack Taylor/Reuters.
Officials have stated that they do not believe the incident was terrorism-related, but no potential motive has been disclosed for Saturday evening’s violent outburst. The rampage forced a commuter train traveling from northern England to make an emergency stop.
Of the eleven individuals wounded, four have since been discharged from the hospital. However, two victims remain in critical, life-threatening condition, according to Sunday’s official reports.
Police identified the suspects as British nationals, aged 32 and 35, both born in the United Kingdom.
“At this stage, there is nothing to suggest that this is a terrorist incident,” John Loveless, Superintendent of the British Transport Police, said in a statement. “We continue 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.”
This train attack is the latest in a series of recent stabbings across Britain, which has left the nation on edge. Just last month, a man attacked worshipers at a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur, leading to one fatality and several injuries. Furthermore, a 22-year-old man was recently charged with murder and attempted murder after a triple stabbing in a west London suburb that claimed the life of a man walking his dog.
Saturday’s train attack garnered immediate condemnation from Britain’s political leaders.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed his deep concern over the incident in a statement on social media. He conveyed his thoughts to all those affected and extended his gratitude to the emergency services for their rapid response.
An image captures emergency responders and police officers at the station on Saturday night. Authorities reported that the two men were arrested “within eight minutes” of the initial call to emergency services. Credit: Chris Radburn/Press Association, via Associated Press.
John Healy, the country’s defense secretary, revealed to the BBC that he and his wife had traveled on the same train line just hours before the attack. He urged the British public to remain vigilant but reassured them that they should continue to feel safe in their daily lives.
“For now, the early reports suggest this was an isolated incident,” Healy stated during the BBC’s “Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg” program. “So from the public’s point of view, there’s no reason not to continue traveling.”
Eyewitnesses aboard the train recounted terrifying moments of chaos as the service rushed towards London’s King’s Cross station.
Passenger Olly Foster shared his harrowing experience with the BBC and through a post on X.
“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 passengers rushing onto the platform as soon as the train made its emergency stop, where fellow travelers and paramedics immediately began to assist the wounded.
Transport police confirmed that the initial reports of the attack came in at 7:42 p.m. on the 6:25 p.m. service from Doncaster, northern England. Train engineers promptly initiated an emergency stop at Huntingdon, where armed officers from Cambridgeshire Police quickly boarded the train.
Superintendent Loveless noted that both men were arrested “within eight minutes” of the initial emergency call.
Officials have advised that the rail network will experience disruptions on Sunday due to the ongoing investigation. Loveless also announced that additional police resources would be deployed to trains and stations.
He confirmed, “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.”