On the evening of Saturday 1 November, a high-speed train travelling from Doncaster to London King’s Cross was the scene of a violent stabbing incident, prompting a large-scale emergency response and the arrest of two men. The attack, which took place shortly after the train left Peterborough and was routed to stop at Huntingdon station in Cambridgeshire, has left multiple people injured.
According to the British Transport Police (BTP) and local police, approximately 7:42 pm was when the first 999 call came in regarding multiple stabbings aboard the 6:25 pm train service. Armed officers from Cambridgeshire Constabulary boarded the train at Huntingdon and within eight minutes of the emergency call two men were in custody.
The two suspects are both British nationals born in the UK. One is a 32-year-old man described as a Black British national, the other a 35-year-old man described as a British national of Caribbean descent. They are being held on suspicion of attempted murder.
At least ten to eleven people were taken to hospital after the incident (with one person self-presenting later); of these, nine were initially reported as suffering life-threatening injuries. By Sunday morning four had been discharged, but two remain in a life-threatening condition.
The BTP declared the situation a “major incident” and initially activated the national protocol code “Plato,” typically reserved for marauding terror attack situations. Counter Terrorism Policing units provided support at the early stage of the investigation. However, police emphasized on Sunday that at this stage there is nothing to suggest the episode was a terrorist attack.
Train services on the route and through Huntingdon station were disrupted for hours as forensic and emergency teams worked the scene. The operator London North Eastern Railway (LNER) said services would face further delays, and staff and passengers described scenes of panic, blood and passengers hiding in toilets as the attack unfolded.
Police emphasised that although the incident appears to have no terror-motive at present, the investigation remains active and they are working “to establish the full circumstances and motivation for this incident”. Members of the government, including the Home Secretary and Defence Secretary, expressed concern and urged the public to avoid speculation.
What remains unclear: the definitive motive, whether the suspects acted together or individually, what weapon(s) were used, and full details of how the incident began. Investigators continue to interview witnesses and review train CCTV, carriage movement and communications.
This incident has reignited public concerns about security on trains and mass-transit systems in the UK, with questions now focusing on how this happened, how it was stopped so quickly, and how similar incidents might be prevented in the future.
English