British police say 10 people were taken to hospital after a mass stabbing attack on a London-bound train, with nine of them seriously injured.
In a statement on Sunday morning, hours after the attack, British Transport Police also said the incident had been declared a “major incident” and that counter-terrorism police were supporting the investigation.
“Ten people were taken to hospital and nine of them are believed to have suffered life-threatening injuries,” the statement said. “This has been declared a major incident and counter-terrorism police are supporting our investigation while we work to establish the full circumstances and motivation for this incident.”
The attack took place as the train was heading south towards Huntingdon, a market town a few miles northwest of the university town of Cambridge, early Saturday evening.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his “thoughts were with everyone affected” after the “appalling incident”.
Emergency services, including armed police and air ambulances, quickly arrived on the scene shortly after being alerted at around 7.30pm as the train arrived at the station.
British Transport Police, who took the lead in the response as they are responsible for security matters on trains, said “several people” had been stabbed on the Doncaster-London King’s Cross train as it headed towards Huntingdon. This provided no motive for the attack.
Cambridgeshire Local Police said armed officers were present after officers were called to the scene at Huntingdon station at 7.39pm on Saturday. It added that the two people were arrested at the station, located around 120 kilometers north of London.
Paul Bristow, mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said he had heard of “horrific scenes” on the train.
London North Eastern Railway, or LNER, which operates East Coast Mainline services in the UK, confirmed the incident occurred on one of its trains and urged passengers not to travel due to “major disruption”.
