What we know about stabbings on Doncaster to London train
Passengers travelling from Doncaster to London were attacked in a mass stabbing on a train on Saturday night.
Eleven people were injured and received hospital treatment. Two of them remain in a life-threatening condition.
Two British men in their thirties were arrested and police said there was currently “nothing to suggest” it was a terror incident.
Witnesses reported that police used a Taser on one man who was holding a knife.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the attack was “appalling” and “deeply concerning”.
Here is what we know so far about what happened.
Where did the stabbings happen?
The attack took place on the 18:25 GMT London North Eastern Railway (LNER) service from Doncaster, South Yorkshire to London’s King Cross station.
Passengers said at least one person brandishing a knife began stabbing people on the train after it passed through Peterborough in Cambridgeshire.
Police received calls from passengers on board at around 19:40, alerting them to the attack.
The train made an unscheduled stop at Huntingdon – which is some 15 minutes from Peterborough by train.
Armed police then boarded the train and arrested two men within eight minutes of the first 999 call. A large emergency service response was also sent to the scene, including air ambulances.
Altogether, the incident was estimated to last roughly 10 to 15 minutes.
The uninjured passengers were interviewed by police and some boarded a coach bound for London.
Huntingdon MP Ben Obese-Jecty told the BBC there were about 10 ambulances, several fire engines and “well over 20 police cars” when he first arrived at the scene just after 21:00.
The station remained shut on Sunday morning, as well as the A1307 directly outside.
The empty train was still at the platform, while a police presence and forensics tents could also be seen.
What do we know about the suspects?
Supt John Loveless of the British Transport Police said two UK nationals were arrested.
The men, aged 32 and 35, were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
Police said the 32-year-old man is a black British national and the 35-year-old is a British national of Caribbean descent.
They have not yet been named and are being held in separate police stations for questioning.
What do we know about the victims?
Emergency crews took 10 people to Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge – which is some 30 minutes away from the train station – and one person later went to the hospital for treatment.
Shortly before 11:00 on Sunday, police said two people remained in a life-threatening condition and four had been discharged.
No victims have yet been named.
What have eyewitnesses said?
Witnesses told the BBC of panic and confusion as passengers ran through the carriages, some wounded and bloodied.
Olly Foster said he heard people shouting “run, there’s a guy stabbing literally everyone and everything” – and thought at first it might have been a Halloween prank.
He saw an older man with gashes on his head and neck after he “blocked” the attacker from stabbing a younger girl. Passengers then used their jackets to try to staunch the bleeding.
Another witness, Wren Chambers, said one person had been stabbed in the arm and bolted down the train to alert others – while another shouted “someone’s got a knife”.
Some passengers hid inside the toilets while others swarmed towards the front of the train.
London Underground worker Dean McFarlane said he saw multiple people running down the platform at Huntingdon bleeding, with one man in a white shirt “completely covered in blood”.
What have police said?
British Transport Police (BTP) declared a major incident and initially said counter-terrorism officers were supporting the investigation “to establish the full circumstances and motivation for this incident”.
The force said it had at one point declared “Plato” – the national code word used by emergency services when responding to a “marauding terror attack” – but later rescinded it.
Supt Loveless later said at a press conference on Sunday morning that “there is nothing to suggest this is a terrorist incident”.
Defence Secretary John Healey told the BBC early reports suggested it was an isolated incident.
Asked whether it was a terror attack, Healey said the investigation was ongoing and that police would “let us know as much as they can as soon as they can”.
He added that this was a service he used often – and that he had travelled along the same route just hours before the attack – and paid tribute to the emergency response.
What has the reaction been?
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the “appalling incident on a train near Huntingdon is deeply concerning”.
He wrote on X: “My thoughts are with all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services for their response.”
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she was receiving regular updates on the investigation and urged people to “avoid comment and speculation at this early stage”.
King Charles issued a statement saying he and Queen Camilla extended their “deepest sympathy” to those affected and their loved ones.
“My wife and I were truly appalled and shocked to hear of the dreadful knife attack that took place on board a train in Cambridgeshire last night.”
“We are particularly grateful to the emergency services for their response to this awful incident.”
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch told the BBC she was “horrified” by the attack: “I can only imagine how frightening it must have been to be in an enclosed environment with someone rampaging in that fashion.”
She praised the emergency response to the incident and urged people not to speculate, while questioning why “we’re seeing more and more violence on our streets” despite efforts to tackle knife crime.
What is happening with train services?
LNER urged passengers to check before travelling on Sunday due to possible cancellations or changes to services.
Tickets for Saturday and Sunday will be valid until Friday, and those who no longer want to travel this week can get a refund.
Lines have reopened between Hitchin and Peterborough, while Great Northern and Thameslink trains between London Kings Cross and Peterborough will run.
A rail replacement service is in place to and from Huntingdon, which will remain closed until the end of the day.
Passengers can use their tickets on the following services on Sunday without incurring extra cost:
• Avanti West Coast between London Euston, Manchester
• TransPennine Express between Manchester, Leeds and York/Newcastle
• ScotRail between Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley
• Northern between Carlisle and Newcastle
• East Midlands Railway (EMR) between London St Pancras, Leicester and Sheffield.
• CrossCountry between Sheffield, Doncaster/Leeds, York and Newcastle/Edinburgh
• Greater Anglia between London Liverpool Street, Stevenage and Peterborough.
• Great Northern and Thameslink between London Kings Cross, Stevenage and Peterborough
• London Northwestern Railway services from Euston
LNER also said delays were expected across the train system, including from other services and operators in the East of England and London, throughout Sunday.
Thameslink tickets that were not used on Saturday will be valid for Sunday.
By BBC News