Copyright standard
Two people have been arrested after witnesses described seeing a man with a large knife following a mass stabbing on a train. Armed police attended Huntingdon station after Cambridgeshire Constabulary were called at 7.39pm on Saturday – with more than 30 officers despatched to the scene. Police said a number of people were taken to hospital after the attack on the 6.25pm train service from Doncaster to London King’s Cross. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described the incident as “deeply concerning” and urged people to follow police advice. Witnesses have spoken of seeing a man with a large knife and passengers hiding in the toilets to escape the rampage, The Times reported. One told the paper there was “blood everywhere” and people were getting “stamped” on by others as they tried to flee. The witness said: “I heard some people shouting we love (you).” The Sun said another witness described the attack as “like something from a film”, adding: “It was a terrible scene, really violent.” One man, who gave his name as Gavin, told Sky News he believed he saw the suspect tasered before he was arrested. He said: “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.” Video footage on social media showed scores of blue-light police cars and emergency vehicles in a station car park, and a team of armed police running towards the stationary train at Huntingdon station. Officers wearing forensic suits, with a police dog, could be seen on the platform. The attack is understood to have started shortly after the LNER train left Peterborough station. In his statement on X, Sir Keir Starmer said: “The appalling incident on a train near Huntingdon is deeply concerning. “My thoughts are with all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services for their response. “Anyone in the area should follow the advice of the police.” Huntingdon Station is closed, National Rail said, with all lines blocked. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp urged the police and the Government to provide an update on who has been arrested “as soon as possible”, adding: “Horrific scenes in Huntingdon, in what seems to be a brutal mass attack by two perpetrators.” In their statement following the attack, British Transport Police said on X: “We are currently responding to an incident on a train to Huntingdon where multiple people have been stabbed. “Officers are in attendance alongside @CambsCops and two people have been arrested.” In their statement, Cambridgeshire Constabulary said two men were arrested after the train was stopped at Huntingdon. It read: “We were called at 7.39pm with reports that multiple people had been stabbed on a train. “Armed officers attended and the train was stopped at Huntingdon, where two men were arrested. A number of people have been taken to hospital. “The incident remains ongoing and the A1307 has been closed as you approach the town centre.” Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she was “deeply saddened” to hear of the stabbings and added: “I urge people to avoid comment and speculation at this early stage.” London North Eastern Railway (LNER), which operates East Coast Mainline services in the UK, confirmed the incident had happened on one of its trains and has urged passengers not to travel because of “major disruption”. In a statement on X at 9.21pm, LNER said: “We are experiencing major disruption across the LNER route. Emergency services are dealing with an incident at Huntingdon station, all lines are blocked. “Our advice is, ‘Do Not Travel’. Please defer your travel where you can.” Cambridgeshire Constabulary urged anyone with information about the incident to report it online at https://www.cambs.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/cor/tell-us-about-existing-case-report quoting incident 495 of November 1, or by calling 101.
