Nine
people suffering life-threatening injuries after train stabbing in
Cambridgeshire, police say
Police
have arrested two people and counter-terrorism police are also involved in an
investigation into the mass stabbing on a train from Doncaster to London’s
Kings Cross on Saturday
Daniel
Lavelle and agencies
Sat 1 Nov
2025 21.30 GMT
Nine
people were being treated for life-threatening injuries after a series of
stabbings on a train near Cambridge in eastern England on Saturday, and two men
were arrested in what prime minister Keir Starmer called an “appalling
incident”.
British
Transport Police said counterterrorism police were supporting its investigation
while it works to establish the full circumstances and motivation for the
incident.
The
police force also said that “Plato,” the national code word used by police and
emergency services when responding to what could be a “marauding terror
attack,” was initiated. That declaration was later rescinded and no motive for
the attack was disclosed.
“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,” British
Transport Police (BTP) chief superintendent Chris Casey said. “At this early
stage it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident.”
Cambridgeshire
constabulary said armed police attended after officers were called to the scene
at Huntingdon station at 7.39pm on Saturday.
“Armed
officers attended and the train was stopped at Huntingdon, where two men were
arrested,” the police said.
The East
of England ambulance service has deployed a “large-scale response” to the
incident. A spokesperson said numerous ambulances, tactical commanders and its
hazardous area response team were at the scene, adding: “We can confirm we have
transported multiple patients to hospital.”
One
witness who was on the train recalled seeing someone move through the carriage
warning others: “They’ve got a knife, I’ve been stabbed.”
The
witness told Sky News the man was “extremely bloodied” and that by the time the
train stopped “they were basically on the floor”.
“That
person ended up collapsing on the floor. They were taken to an ambulance pretty
much straight away,” he said.
Witnesses
say people wounded by the attack were seen sprinting through the train away
from somebody with a knife.
Later on,
armed police were seen directing their weapons at a man standing on a platform
with a large blade, a witness said. The man was then incapacitated with a taser
and restrained.
One
witness said they saw between six and eight people who were wounded, while
another said up to 12 may have been injured.
Police
said the attack happened on the 6.25pm train service from Doncaster to London
King’s Cross, shortly after the LNER train left Peterborough station.
Keir
Starmer said the incident was “deeply concerning” and urged people to follow
police advice.
In a
statement on X, the prime minister said: “The appalling incident on a train
near Huntingdon is deeply concerning. 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.”
The MP
for Huntingdon, Ben Obese-Jecty, said: “Very reassuring to see such a quick and
effective response from the emergency services.
“I’ve
simply never seen as big a response to an emergency incident as there were in
terms of police, fire and ambulance.”
The home
secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said she was “deeply saddened” to hear of the
stabbings and added: “I urge people to avoid comment and speculation at this
early stage.”
London
North Eastern Railway (LNER), which operates east coast mainline services in
the UK, confirmed the incident had happened on one of its trains and has urged
passengers not to travel because of “major disruption”. Huntingdon station is
closed, National Rail said, with all lines blocked.
LNER
said: “We are experiencing major disruption across the LNER route. Emergency
services are dealing with an incident at Huntingdon station; all lines are
blocked. Our advice is ‘Do Not Travel’. Please defer your travel where you
can.”
The LNER
said disruption to services in the area was expected to last until Monday.
The
shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, said that it “seems to be a brutal mass
attack”. He added: “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.”
Cambridgeshire
constabulary urged anyone with information about the incident to report it online,
quoting incident 495 of 1 November, or by calling 101.
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