Ten people are in hospital, nine with life-threatening injuries, following a mass stabbing attack on a passenger train in eastern England on Saturday evening as witnessed described bloody scenes
A terrifying knife attack on a passenger train has left nine people fighting for their lives and another with serious injuries. Two men have been detained following the incident on a London-bound LNER service yesterday, which sparked a massive emergency response including armed police.
The stabbing frenzy took place at approximately 7.40pm on the 6.25pm service from Doncaster to London King’s Cross, moments after departing Peterborough station. Witnesses described scenes of pandemonium as a man wielding a large blade attacked passengers randomly throughout the carriages.
Passenger Olly Foster told the BBC he heard screams of “run, run, there’s a guy literally stabbing everyone” amid “pure panic”, with blood splattered on seats and floors as terrified passengers fought to flee, reports the Express.
Panic and blood
Fellow traveller Wren Chambers recalled hearing shouts of “they’ve got a knife, run!” while people cowered together in bathrooms. The emergency cord was activated, bringing the train to a standstill at Huntingdon station, where British Transport Police (BTP) officers arrived and used a taser on one suspect and apprehended a second individual nearby.
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.”
A man who was travelling on the train has said he saw an “extremely bloodied” victim and that he believes a suspect was tasered.
The eyewitness, called Gavin, told Sky News: “I was in coach G and one of the people that were coming through, I heard them say: ‘They’ve got a knife, I’ve been stabbed’.
Hero pensioner
In an heroic act, An older man is understood to have “blocked” the attacker from stabbing a younger girl, leaving him with injuries to his head and neck, Olly Foster told the BBC, adding other passengers used their clothing to try and stem the bleeding. He said the incident “felt like forever”.
In recounting the start of the attack, Mr Foster told the BBC he initially heard people shouting “run, run, there’s a guy literally stabbing everyone”, and believed it might have been a prank related to Halloween. He added that people quickly started pushing through the carriage, and he noticed his hand was “covered in blood” as there was “blood all over the chair” he had leaned on.
Although it lasted 10 to 15 minutes in total, Foster says the incident “felt like forever”.
Counter terror police
A major incident was declared, with the “Plato” protocol for a potential marauding terrorist attack momentarily activated before being called off. Counter-terrorism experts from the Metropolitan Police are providing support given the incident’s magnitude and seemingly random nature, though BTP has stressed that the motive remains unclear and urged against conjecture.
The casualties sustained multiple knife wounds and are being treated at nearby hospitals, with one understood to have non-life-threatening injuries. Additional details regarding their conditions or identities have not been disclosed.
Attack condemned
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned the “appalling incident” as “deeply concerning”, declaring: “My thoughts are with all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services for their response.”
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood expressed being “deeply saddened” by the stabbings and called on the public to refrain from speculation “at this early stage”.
Operations on the East Coast Main Line continue to face disruption until Monday, with LNER recommending passengers postpone their journeys. The assault occurs against a backdrop of mounting anxiety over blade crime in England and Wales, where 50,510 offences were logged in the year ending March 2024.
Emergency services praised
Railway unions have commended the swift response of staff and travellers in alerting authorities.
Forensic officers are scrutinising the train at Huntingdon depot and analysing CCTV and witness recordings as part of the continuing probe. The two suspects remain in police custody.
Huntingdon MP Ben Obese-Jecty described the incidents as “appalling and devastating”, stating: “My thoughts are with all those victims who were injured during this heinous attack.”
He also commended the swift response of the emergency services.
The British Transport Police (BTP) is urging any witnesses to step forward, either by calling 101 or providing information anonymously through Crimestoppers.
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