This weekend, a shocking incident unfolded aboard a London-bound train, causing fear and chaos among passengers. However, British police have swiftly dismissed any links to terrorism, clarifying that the stabbing attack, which left two people in critical condition, was not terror-related.
Two men, both born in the United Kingdom, have been apprehended following the attack. Their arrest came merely eight minutes after the initial distress calls flooded in, highlighting the prompt response of law enforcement. The incident occurred on a train that was later halted at Huntingdon station in eastern England.
Speaking outside the station, British Transport Police Superintendent John Loveless expressed his concern and support for those affected. “This is a shocking incident, and my thoughts are with those who have been injured and their families,” Loveless stated, while confirming, “There is nothing to suggest this is a terrorist incident.”
The individuals in custody are identified as a 32-year-old Black British man and a 35-year-old man of Caribbean descent. Both remain under police watch as investigations continue.
Providing an update on the victims, Loveless noted a decrease in the number of critically injured individuals—from an initial report of nine down to two. He also confirmed that four people have been discharged, and an additional person has sought medical attention, bringing the total number of those injured in the attack to 11.
Loveless also gave an update on those injured in the attack, reducing the number in life-threatening condition from nine to two. He said four of the injured have now been discharged and that one other person had arrived at the hospital, taking the overall number injured in the attack to 11.
On Saturday night, bloodied passengers had spilled out of the long-distance train when it made an emergency stop in the town of Huntingdon, a market town around 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of London. Dozens of police waited, some of them armed, and the two suspects were arrested within eight minutes of the first calls to emergency services, Loveless said.
During the immediate response to the attack, the police force said that “Plato,” the national code word used by police and emergency services when responding to what could be a “marauding terror attack,” was initiated. That declaration was later rescinded but no motive for the attack has been disclosed.
“At this early stage it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident,” Loveless said.
The attack took place as the train from Doncaster in northern England to London’s King’s Cross station was about halfway through its 2-hour journey and approaching Huntingdon.
Passenger Olly Foster told the BBC he heard people shouting “run, run, there’s a guy literally stabbing everyone,” and initially thought it might have been a Halloween prank – Saturday was a day after Halloween. But as passengers pushed past him to get away, he noticed his hand was covered in blood from a chair he had leaned on.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his “thoughts are with all those affected” after the “appalling incident.”
King Charles III sent his sympathies and thoughts to those affected and said he was “truly appalled and shocked to hear of the dreadful knife attack.”
London North Eastern Railway, or LNER, which operates the East Coast Mainline services in the U.K., confirmed the incident had happened on one of its trains and said there would be major disruption on the route until Monday.
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