Nine people with life-threatening injuries after mass stabbing on train in Cambridgeshire
Summary
Ten people are in hospital, with nine believed to have life-threatening injuries, after a stabbing attack on a train in Cambridgeshire
Two people have been arrested after the train stopped at Huntingdon station and dozens of officers rushed to the scene
British Transport Police say counter-terrorism officers will join an investigation as “we work to establish the full circumstances and motivation”
An eyewitness tells the BBC they saw a man with a bloodied arm fleeing down a carriage yelling “they’ve got a knife” – another witness says police tasered a man on a platform
Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the “appalling incident” in Cambridgeshire is “deeply concerning” and urges people to follow the advice of local authorities
The attack happened on the 18:25 service from Doncaster to London King’s Cross
Live Reporting
Edited by Gavin Butler and Jay Savage
Injured man shouted ‘someone’s got a knife’, eyewitness tells BBC
published at 06:58
06:58
An eyewitness on the train has recounted the moment an injured man ran towards her shouting “someone’s got a knife”.
“All the passengers along the train were just packing forwards… all huddled together,” Wren Chambers tells BBC.
Rail disruption expected throughout Sunday
published at 05:47
05:47
London North Eastern Railway (LNER) has urged passengers to defer rail travel, and says disruption is expected until the end of the day on Sunday.
In a statement published early on Sunday morning, LNER Managing Director David Horne wrote that he was “deeply shocked and saddened by this serious incident” and thanked emergency services for their “quick and professional” response.
“We will continue to do everything we can to support our customers and colleagues during this difficult time,” he said, reiterating that the wellbeing of everyone affected would remain his top priority.
Witness tells media that police tasered a man holding a knife
05:06
Witnesses who were on board the train at the time of the incident described the horrific scenes to the media.
Passengers told Sky News that the stabbing started 10 minutes after the train left Peterborough, and that wounded people were seen running through the train away from somebody with a knife.
A man holding a large knife was later seen on the train platform with armed police pointing their weapons at him, one witness added – saying the man was then tasered and restrained.
‘Horrifying scenes’ – MPs
published at 04:32
04:32
Several MPs have described the scene in Huntingdon as “horrifying”.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp wrote on X that his thoughts were with “all those injured and affected”, and called on the police and the government to provide an update on the incident.
Conservative Kevin Hollinrake MP echoed his words, writing that his thoughts were with the victims following the “horrifying scenes in Huntingdon”.
Knife crime rising in England and Wales, official data shows
published at 03:34
03:34
Knife crime in the UK has “steadily” risen since 2011, according to government statistics.
It’s become such a prominent issue that Sir Keir Starmer has branded it a “national crisis’.
Sixty thousand knives have been either handed over or seized by police as part of a broader government crackdown over the past year. Carrying a knife in public is punishable by up to four years imprisonment.
Last night’s Huntingdon train stabbing and last month’s knife attack at a Manchester synagogue, which left two dead, have both made international headlines.
Older man ‘blocked’ attacker from stabbing younger girl, says eyewitness
published at 03:18
03:18
An eyewitness who was on the train at the time of the incident says passengers were left in “pure panic” as bleeding victims called out for help.
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 night-after-Halloween prank.
Within minutes, people started pushing through the carriage, and Foster 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 a gash on his head and neck, Foster said. Passengers around him used jackets to try to staunch the bleeding.
He added that the only thing people in his carriage could use against the attacker was a bottle of Jack Daniel’s whiskey, leaving them “praying” that he would not enter the carriage.
Although it lasted 10 to 15 minutes in total, Foster says the incident “felt like forever”.
BBC speaks to Huntingdon MP at scene of train stabbing
Huntingdon MP Ben Obese-Jecty told the BBC that he arrived at the scene of the Cambridgeshire train stabbing just after 21:00, where he was met with a “really significant emergency services presence”.
He said that the attacks aboard the train took place after it left Peterborough station.
Police confirm they used, then rescinded, code word for terror attack
British Transport Police have confirmed to the BBC that those responding to a mass stabbing on a train near Huntingdon at one point declared “Plato”, which is the national code word used by police and emergency services when responding to a “marauding terror attack”.
This declaration was later rescinded, police said.
We reported earlier that police have now declared a “major incident”, and the investigation is being supported by counter-terrorism officers.
A recap on the past six hours
For those who are just joining us, it’s been almost six hours since police first received reports of multiple stabbings aboard the 18:25 service from Doncaster to King’s Cross.
After receiving that call at 19:42, a large number of emergency responders attended the scene at Huntingdon Station in Cambridgeshire, where the train made an unscheduled stop.
Police have since confirmed that nine people are in hospital with life-threatening injuries. A tenth person is being treated in hospital with non life-threatening injuries.
Two people have been arrested in connection with the incident, and are currently in police custody.
The investigation is being supported by counter-terrorism officers, and police say that trains are still not running in the area. There are also a number of road closures that remain in place.
What we don’t know:
Victims of the attack have still not been identified, which is likely in part due to police making sure their families have been informed
The identities of the two people who were arrested in connection with the attack have also not been released
Stay with us as we bring you the latest updates, as the situation continues to unfold.
‘This is a shocking incident’ – police
published at 02:07
02:07
In an update from British Transport Police, Chief Superintendent Chris Casey called the stabbing attack a “shocking incident”, but said he was unable to speculate on the cause.
“Our response is ongoing at the station and will be for some time,” he said, adding that trains were not currently running in the area and road closures would continue.
As we reported earlier, ten people have been taken to hospital, with nine of those patients suffering “life-threatening injuries”.
Police said that they have declared a “major incident” and the investigation is being supported by counter-terrorism officers as they work to establish a motive.
“It could take some time before we are in a position to confirm anything further,” the chief superintendent said, before thanking the public for their “patience and co-operation”.
Nine people with life-threatening injuries, police say
published at 01:46
01:46
BREAKING
We’ve just received an update from British Transport Police on the stabbing incident in Cambridgeshire.
Ten people are in hospital, with nine believed to have life-threatening injuries, following the stabbing aboard the 18:25 service from Doncaster to King’s Cross, police say.
There have been no fatalities, the statement adds.
Police have declared a “major incident”, and confirmed that counter-terrorism officers would be supporting the investigation.
Man bolted down carriage with bloody arm, witness says
published at 00:47
00:47
We can bring you some eyewitness testimony from a person who was on the train that stopped in Huntingdon following the stabbing incident.
Wren Chambers first became aware that something was amiss when a man bolted down the carriage with a bloody arm, saying “they’ve got a knife, run”.
Wren and their friend ran to the front of the train and saw a man who had collapsed on the floor. Wren said they felt “stressed and pretty scared” once they knew what was happening.
They were able to get off the train unharmed.
Train involved was travelling from Doncaster to King’s Cross
We can bring you some new information now on the train service on which this incident took place.
British Transport Police say the train involved was the 18:25 service from Doncaster to London King’s Cross.
Did you witness the incident? Get in touch
published at 00:24
00:24
If you saw or know anything about the stabbing incident in Huntingdon, you can get in touch in the following ways:
Email: bbcyourvoice@bbc.co.uk
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Credit: BBC.
