A man has been arrested in Cambridgeshire after a mass stabbing on a Doncaster to London King’s Cross train.
The incident, which happened on Saturday evening, is not being treated as a terror attack, police have said.
Police said 11 people were treated in hospital. As of Sunday, one person remains in a life-threatening condition.
King Charles has expressed his sympathy for the victims and praised the response of the emergency services.
Many details, including a possible motive, remain unclear.
Here’s what we know so far:
Armed police responding to the stabbing. Pic: @.qonquest
What happened on the train?
The attack happened on board the 6.25pm service from Doncaster to Kings Cross in London. The LNER Azuma train had left Peterborough at 7.30pm.
At 7.42pm, British Transport Police (BTP) said they were called to reports of multiple stabbings on board.
Passengers told of people trampling over each other, and witnesses reported seeing a man with a large knife and people hiding in the toilets to escape the attack.
Armed police, paramedics, air ambulance and transport police were deployed to the train, which made an unscheduled stop at Huntingdon station in Cambridgeshire, four minutes after the call to BTP.
By 7.50pm, two suspects had been detained.
Forensics officers seen on the platform
What do we know about the suspect?
Two men were arrested on the day of the incident on suspicion of attempted murder. One, a 35-year-old, was later released without charge.
A 32-year-old British man of Caribbean descent remains in custody. The suspect was born in the UK and is from Peterborough, where he entered the train.
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Only one suspect being questioned over train stabbing
A knife was recovered at the scene after armed police were deployed to the train.
A passenger, who gave his name as Gavin, said there were “extremely bloodied” people and police shouting orders as passengers scrambled to leave the train.
He told Sky News: “The armed police were pointing to the suspect as we came off the train.
“Police were shouting ‘get down, get down’!
“He (a suspect) was waving quite a large knife. They detained him. I think it was a Taser that got him down in the end.”
Details about a possible motive remain unclear: BTP Superintendent John Loveless said on Sunday morning there was “nothing to suggest that this is a terrorist incident”, adding that the investigation would continue to examine the “motivations” which led to the attack.
Read more:
Eyewitness recalls horror attack on high-speed train
Forensic officers at Huntingdon Station. Pic: PA
What have police said?
Police initially declared the situation a “major incident” and at one point declared “Plato” – the national code word used by police and emergency services when responding to a “marauding terror attack”. However, this was later rescinded.
Describing the response, Supt Loveless said: “Officers immediately attended Huntingdon station alongside paramedics, where armed police from Cambridgeshire Police boarded the train and arrested two people within eight minutes of the first 999 call.”
He added: “At this early stage it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident.”
BTP Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Cundy added on Sunday evening: “Our investigation is moving at pace and we are confident we are not looking for anyone else in connection to the incident.
“As would be expected, specialist detectives are looking into the background of the suspect we have in custody and the events that led up to the attack.”
Emergency responders on the tracks. Pic: PA
How many people were hurt in the attack?
Ten people were taken to hospital following the attack on the train, nine with what were initially described as life threatening injuries.
Another person self-presented to hospital at a later time, police said.
Of the nine people reported to have sustained life-threatening injuries, four were then discharged following assessment and treatment, Sup Loveless said.
Later, police added that a further five people were discharged. As of Sunday evening, one person – an LNER rail staff member – remains in a life-threatening condition.
Dep Chief Con Cundy added in a statement: “My thoughts and those of everyone in British Transport Police are with those injured and their families – especially the brave member of rail staff whose family are being supported by specialist officers.
“Having viewed the CCTV from the train, the actions of the member of rail staff were nothing short of heroic and undoubtedly saved people’s lives.”
Who was on the train?
Nobody injured has spoken out at this time. However, the train driver who made an emergency stop at Huntingdon station has been named as Andrew Johnson.
Train driver Andrew Johnson
“The driver did everything he was trained to do, at the right time and in the right way,” said Nigel Roebuck, full-time organiser in the northeast of England for the train drivers’ union Aslef.
“He brought the train into a station where passengers could disembark safely and where police, fire and rescue, and ambulance crew could get on to the train and attend to the victims and, we believe, catch the culprit.
“He showed real courage, real dedication, and real determination in the most difficult of circumstances.”
A student who was on board the LNER has also told Sky News she thought she was “going to die” during the incident.
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‘We had no idea where he was’
Amira Ostalski told Sky News correspondent Dan Whitehead she and a friend were “listening to music, just having a good time”, when “panic and chaos” broke out in her carriage, Coach G, between Peterborough and Huntingdon.
Ms Ostalski said she came within 2m of the attacker but only caught a glimpse of him, adding: “He was just a black bearded guy wearing all black and a hoody.
“I didn’t see the knife he was holding. I’m guessing because it was already in the body or something.”
The LNER train remained in Huntingdon station on Saturday morning following the attack
What is happening to trains in the area?
Huntingdon rail station will remain closed until the end of Monday, but trains are anticipated to be passing through.
Disruption on the line between London King’s Cross and Peterborough is also expected until the end of Monday.
In a statement on its website, LNER said: “The emergency services are continuing to deal with a major incident between Hitchin and Peterborough.
“Whilst they carry out their work some lines are still closed. Great Northern and Thameslink services will not call at Huntingdon.
“LNER services between London Kings Cross and Peterborough may be cancelled, revised or delayed.”
Thameslink train lines have since reopened between Hitchin and Peterborough, and trains which run between London King’s Cross and Peterborough will be able to run.
