Nine people are being treated for life-threatening injuries following a violent stabbing attack on a train near Cambridge in eastern England.
Two men have been arrested in what Prime Minister Keir Starmer described as an “appalling incident”.
British Transport Police confirmed that counterterrorism officers are supporting their investigation as they work to determine the full circumstances and motivation behind the attack, which occurred on Saturday evening. A cabinet minister later said it is believed to have been an “isolated attack”.
The force said that the national “Plato” protocol – used by emergency services when responding to a potential “marauding terror attack” – had been activated but was later stood down. “We’re conducting urgent inquiries to establish what has happened, and it could take some time before we are in a position to confirm anything further,” said Chief Superintendent Chris Casey of the British Transport Police. “At this early stage it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident.”
According to Cambridgeshire Constabulary, armed officers attended the scene after receiving reports of a serious incident at Huntingdon station at 7.39pm. “Armed officers attended and the train was stopped at Huntingdon, where two men were arrested,” police confirmed.
The East of England Ambulance Service launched what it called a “large-scale response”, deploying multiple ambulances, tactical commanders and a hazardous area response team. “We can confirm we have transported multiple patients to hospital,” a spokesperson said.
Witnesses described scenes of panic as passengers fled from a man armed with a knife. One passenger recalled seeing a man move through the carriage shouting, “They’ve got a knife, I’ve been stabbed.” The witness told Sky News the victim was “extremely bloodied” and collapsed shortly before being taken to hospital.
Other witnesses reported seeing armed officers pointing their weapons at a man holding a large blade on the platform before he was tasered and restrained. Accounts from the scene varied, with some saying between six and twelve people were injured.
The incident occurred on the 6.25pm London North Eastern Railway (LNER) service from Doncaster to London King’s Cross, shortly after it left Peterborough station.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the event “deeply concerning” and thanked emergency services for their swift response, urging people in the area to follow police advice. Huntingdon MP Ben Obese-Jecty commended the “quick and effective response” from emergency services, noting he had “never seen as big a response to an emergency incident”.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she was “deeply saddened” by the stabbings and urged the public to “avoid comment and speculation at this early stage.” Defence Secretary John Healey told Sky News that the early assessment suggested it was an “isolated attack”, adding that there was “no reason for the rest of us not to get on with our lives”.
LNER confirmed that the incident took place on one of its trains and warned of “major disruption” across the east coast mainline. “Emergency services are dealing with an incident at Huntingdon station; all lines are blocked. Our advice is ‘Do Not Travel’,” the company said, adding that disruption is expected to continue until Monday.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp described the event as a “brutal mass attack”, calling on police and the government to provide updates “as soon as possible”.
Cambridgeshire Police are urging anyone with information to come forward by reporting online and quoting incident 495 of 1 November or by calling 101.
