Two suspects were arrested after the train made an emergency stop at Huntingdon station
The United Kingdom was shocked by a knife attack on a train on Saturday night, which targeted passengers traveling through central England on their way to London. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the incident as “deeply worrying”.
Nine people were seriously injured, two of whom are still fighting for their lives in hospital. The British Transport Police speak of a “serious incident”.
Two suspects were detained just minutes after police received the first alert when the train made an emergency stop at Huntingdon station.
Authorities confirmed that they were two British men in their 30s. The police are investigating the reasons for the attack, ruling out a terrorist act scenario.
Here’s what is known about the attack.
What happened?
The London North Eastern Railway (LNER) high-speed train left the city of Doncaster, in the north of England, at 6:25 pm, bound for London.
The train had just left Peterborough station in Cambridgeshire when the attack occurred.
A witness who was on the train, Wren Chambers, told the BBC that she initially heard “screams and screams” in carriages further back, before a man appeared running through the train with a “very visible injury”, bleeding profusely on his arm.
When she saw that more people were running around the train, Wren Chambers grabbed her bag and coat. “I got up and went to the front of the train, behind them, trying to get as far as possible.”
Other people did the same and some tried to barricade themselves in the train’s bathrooms, according to witness reports.
The police received the first emergency call at 7:42 pm, immediately sending a team of armed officers. Eight minutes after the first call, the two suspects were arrested after the train made an emergency stop at Huntingdon station.
Armed police were seen running across the station platform, removing passengers and trying to neutralize any threat, British news agency PA Media reported.
According to another witness’ account of the incident, one of the suspects was hit by police with a taser. “Basically, as they got closer to him, they started shouting ‘lay down, lay down’. I think it was the taser that put him down,” the witness told Sky News.
The train remains at Huntingdon station, with medical equipment and other debris scattered across the platform.
Who are the victims?
A total of 11 victims received hospital treatment. Ten were transported by ambulance to the hospital, nine of them in serious condition, while another person ended up showing up at the hospital on their own during the night.
Two people are still in hospital fighting for their lives, British Transport Police Superintendent John Loveless said this morning in statements to journalists.
For now, very little is known about the victims, including their ages.
Who is behind the attack?
Two suspects were arrested on Saturday night on suspicion of attempted murder. According to police, the two have British nationality – one is 32 years old and the other is 35. Both were born in the United Kingdom, said Superintendent John Loveless.
However, police announced that the 32-year-old man is “the only suspect” in the attack and that the second man has already been released, “without any charges being filed.”
The police are still investigating the reasons that led to the attack, but say that there is no evidence that this was an act of terrorism. “At this time, there is nothing to suggest this is a terrorist incident,” said Superintendent John Loveless. “At this time, it would not be appropriate to speculate on the cause of this incident.”
In an interview with Sky News, British Defense Secretary John Healey described the incident as an “isolated attack”.
Initially, the British Transport Police (BTP) declared a “Plato”, the national code for responding to an “indiscriminate terrorist attack”, and later revoked it.
How common are these attacks in the UK?
The UK is rarely the scene of mass casualty incidents and homicide rates are low compared to other Western countries.
Firearm crime is particularly low, with the country recording 5,103 firearm incidents last year, according to government statistics.
By contrast, knife crime has increased overall since 2011. Around 51,527 knife crimes were recorded by police forces in England and Wales last year, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Of these, 15,689 were registered in London.
British politicians and other senior figures admitted they were shocked by the attack, sending their condolences to the victims.
British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she was “deeply saddened” by the news and that her “thoughts are with everyone affected”.
In a statement released by Buckingham Palace, King Charles III wrote: “I am truly appalled and shocked to learn of the horrific knife attack that took place on board a train in Cambridgeshire last night. Our deepest sympathies and thoughts are with all those affected and their loved ones,” he added.
The East Coast Main Line is one of the busiest and most important railway lines in the UK. The line connects the main cities, connecting King’s Cross station, in London, to Waverley station, in Edinburgh, Scotland.
