10 Injured In Major Stabbing Attack On London-Bound Train, Two Arrested As Counter-Terror Police Join Probe
A man with a large knife is believed to have been shot by an officer with a taser shock-gun after what is being described as a bloody rampage on the train after it left nearby Peterborough station.
Ten people have been injured in a stabbing attack on a train in the UK, which has been declared a “major incident” and led to counter-terrorism police joining the investigation on Sunday.
Nine of those injured are said to have suffered life-threatening injuries in the attack on Saturday night, when armed police stormed the train at Huntingdon station in Cambridgeshire, eastern England, to make two arrests.
A man with a large knife is believed to have been shot by an officer with a taser shock-gun after what is being described as a bloody rampage on the train after it left nearby Peterborough station.
“Ten people have been taken to hospital following a multiple stabbing on a train in Cambridgeshire,” the British Transport Police (BTP) said in a statement on Sunday.
“Nine are believed to have suffered life-threatening injuries. A major incident has been declared and Counter-Terrorism Policing are supporting our investigation,” the statement said.
The London-bound high-speed train had been travelling between Doncaster and was headed to King's Cross station in the UK capital.
Earlier, the Cambridgeshire Constabulary said its officers are working with BTP after they intercepted a train in Huntingdon and the injured were taken to hospital.
“We were called at 7.39 pm (local time on Saturday) with reports that multiple people had been stabbed on a train,” Cambridgeshire Constabulary said in a statement.
“Armed officers attended, and the train was stopped at Huntingdon, where two men were arrested. A number of people have been taken to the hospital,” the police said.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer took to social media to condemn the “appalling incident” and urged people to follow police advice.
'The appalling incident on a train near Huntingdon is deeply concerning,” said Starmer.
'My thoughts are with all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services for their response. Anyone in the area should follow the advice of the police,” he said.
UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she was “deeply saddened” to hear about the stabbings in Huntingdon and urged people to “avoid comment and speculation at this early stage”.
“Two suspects have been immediately arrested and taken into custody. I am receiving regular updates on the investigation,” she said.
A 'large-scale response' was deployed by the East of England Ambulance Service, which said numerous ambulances, tactical commanders and its Hazardous Area Response Team were rushed to the scene. Critical care teams, including the East Anglian Air Ambulance and Essex and Herts Air Ambulance, attended and confirmed transporting “multiple patients to hospital”.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said that the incident 'seems to be a brutal mass attack'.
'My thoughts are with all those injured or affected and the emergency services responding. The police and government should provide an update on what happened and who has been arrested as soon as possible,” he said.
Roads leading into the town of Huntingdon and London and North Eastern Railway (LNER), which operates the rail network in the region, have been severely disrupted while emergency services deal with the aftermath of the stabbings.
A witness who was on the train was quoted by ‘Sky News’ as saying that he saw someone moving through 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," the man told the channel.
