Nine fighting for their lives after mass stabbing on train

Counter-terror police assist investigation as two men arrested Daily Telegraph 02/11/25 Nine people are fighting for their lives in hospital after a mass stabbing on a train in Cambridgeshire on Saturday.

Police have declared a “major incident” and counter-terror officers are investigating following the attack in which ten passengers were attacked by two men. The men were arrested at Huntingdon station by armed police shortly before 8pm. Witnesses said passengers hid in toilets to avoid the assailants, with others describing scenes of “pure chaos” and like something “from a film”. Passengers were described as being covered in blood and falling over themselves to escape the attackers along the train aisle. Eyewitnesses said they saw a man dressed in black walking through the train stabbing passengers on board with a large knife. One witness said there was “blood everywhere” and people were getting “stamped” on by others as they tried to flee. They added: “I heard some people shouting we love (you).” Witnesses have reported a man holding a large knife on the platform with police pointing weapons at him. A witness told Sky News that the man was tasered and restrained near the train. Police responding to the mass stabbing had at one point declared it “Operation Plato”, the national code used by officers to denote a response to a marauding terror attack. However, British Transport Police said this declaration was later rescinded. In a statement on X, Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, 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.” Footage shared 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. In the early hours of Sunday morning, forensic teams could be seen scouring the tracks near the train. Chief Superintendent Chris Casey of the British Transport Police (BTP) said it may be “some time” before officers could give more details on the incident. He added that it would “not be appropriate” to speculate on why the attack happened. Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, said she was “deeply saddened” to hear of the stabbings and added: “I urge people to avoid comment and speculation at this early stage.” ‘He collapsed on the floor’ The attack is understood to have started shortly after the Doncaster to King’s Cross train left Peterborough station. One man who was on the London North Eastern Railway train told Sky News he saw someone coming though his carriage saying: “They’ve got a knife, I’ve been stabbed.” “They were making their way through the carriage to get away from the suspects. They were extremely bloodied,” said the man who gave his name as Gavin. He said by the time the train pulled up “they were basically on the floor”. “That person ended up collapsing on the floor. They were taken to an ambulance pretty much straight away,” he said. Gavin said passengers were ushered out into the station and “there were multiple people who had been stabbed making their way down”. But he said one of the suspects had also come off the train and was “running rampant as well”, and was “waving a large knife” before he was taken down by armed officers. Witness thought it was a Hallowe’en prank at first Olly 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 Hallowe’en. Mr Foster said 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. An older man “blocked” the attacker from stabbing a younger girl, leaving him with injuries to his head and neck, Mr Foster said, adding other passengers used their clothing to try and stem the bleeding. He said the incident “felt like forever”. It was terrible – like something from a film’ One eyewitness described the scene on the train as “horrific” and “pure chaos” onboard. They told The Sun: “There was blood everywhere, it was a terrible scene, really violent. It was like something from a film. It didn’t feel real and just sparked pure panic on board. “Shocked onlookers were shaken and traumatised. There’s a heavy police presence on the scene at the moment.” Passengers who were onboard the train were put on buses to London just before 11pm. Photographs from the scene show people wearing foil blankets and boarding coaches. Paul Bristow, the Conservative Mayor of Peterborough and Cambridgeshire, said on X: “Hearing reports of horrendous scenes on a train. Cambridgeshire Police are at the scene and two people have been arrested. “Thoughts and prayers with everyone affected.” Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative Party leader, said: “Deeply disturbed by the reports emerging from Huntingdon. “This is an absolutely horrific attack and my thoughts are with all those affected including the emergency responders at the scene.” Meanwhile, Chris Philp, the Shadow Home Secretary, added that it “seems to be a brutal mass attack”. “The police and government should provide an update on what happened and who has been arrested as soon as possible,” he said. BTP said: “We can confirm that at 7.42pm today (1 November) British Transport Police were called to reports of a multiple stabbing on board the 6.25pm train service from Doncaster to London King’s Cross. “Officers immediately attended Huntingdon station alongside paramedics. “Armed police from Cambridgeshire Police boarded the train and arrested two people in connection to the incident who have been taken to police custody. “Ten people have been taken to hospital with nine believed to have suffered life-threatening injuries. One is being treated for non life-threatening injuries. There have been no fatalities. “This has been declared a major incident and Counter Terrorism Policing are supporting our investigation whilst we work to establish the full circumstances and motivation for this incident.” There were significant disruptions to the rail network last night and Huntingdon station is set to remain closed for some time. LNER, which operates East Coast Mainline services in the UK, said disruption to its services between London Kings Cross and Lincoln, Doncaster, Leeds, Bradford Forster Square and Harrogate was expected to last until Monday, with passengers advised to defer their travel where possible. 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.”