Counterterrorism police are investigating a stabbing attack on a train in England, which left 10 people wounded, most of them with life-threatening injuries.
British Transport Police said late Saturday that the attack had been declared “a major incident” and that “Counter Terrorism Policing are supporting our investigation.”
Two people have been arrested over the attack, near the Cambridgeshire town of Huntingdon.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the incident “deeply concerning.”
“Ten people have been taken to the hospital, with nine believed to have suffered life-threatening injuries. One is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries. There have been no fatalities,” a police statement said.
Police were called at 7.42 p.m. to a report of an attack on the service from the northern city of Doncaster to London’s King’s Cross.
Armed officers were deployed to Huntingdon station, where the train made an unplanned stop and the two people were arrested, police said.
“A minute or so later, a man… was running down with a very clear wound, bleeding quite badly on his arm. And I thought it was like some sort of Halloween prank at first. But then he’s shouting that someone’s got a knife, he was stabbed,” she said.
After seeing more people running down the train, Chambers grabbed her bag and coat. “I got up and moved forward down the train after them, trying to get far down the train as they can.”
He said police shouted “Get down, get down” as they got closer to him.
“He then was waving a knife, quite a large knife, and then they detained him,” the eyewitness said.
“I think it was a Taser that got him down in the end,” he said.
Video shared on social media of the immediate aftermath of the incident showed a bloodied person rushing out of Huntingdon station, and dozens of police and emergency vehicles with flashing blue lights gathered outside. In one video, armed officers were seen sprinting down a platform at the station toward the front end of a stationary train.
British Transport Police Chief Superintendent Chris Casey called it “a shocking incident” and said his thoughts were with those injured and their families.
“We’re conducting urgent enquiries to establish what has happened, and it could take some time before we are in a position to confirm anything further,” he said. “At this early stage, it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident.”
Emergency first responders said they had mobilised a large-scale response to the stabbing attack, including sending several air ambulances.
In a statement on X, the East of England Ambulance Service said it had sent “numerous ambulances, tactical commanders, our Hazardous Area Response Team, and critical care teams,” from several regional jurisdictions.
Starmer said on social media: “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 on X.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she was “deeply saddened to hear about the stabbings,” and that her “thoughts go out to all those affected.”
Mahmood said she is receiving regular updates on the investigation and urged people to avoid “speculation at this early stage” as to what was behind the stabbings.
The rail company that operates trains on the East Coast Main Line, London North Eastern Railway (LNER), said that it was “experiencing major disruption across the LNER route.”
The East Coast Main Line is one of the UK’s busiest and most important railway routes. It connects major cities, running from London King’s Cross to Edinburgh Waverly in Scotland.
“Our advice is ‘Do Not Travel’. Please defer your travel where you can,” LNER said. CNN
