Police and emergency responders at Huntingdon Station following a stabbing on a train. Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images
Counterterrorism police are investigating a stabbing attack on a train in England which left 10 people wounded, most of them with life-threatening injuries.
British Transport Police said late Saturday that the attack had been declared “a major incident” and that “Counter Terrorism Policing are supporting our investigation.”
Two people have been arrested over the attack, near the Cambridgeshire town of Huntingdon.
“Ten people have been taken to hospital with nine believed to have suffered life-threatening injuries. One is being treated for non life-threatening injuries. There have been no fatalities,” a police statement said.
Police were called at at 7.42 p.m. to a report of the attack on the service from the northern city of Doncaster to London’s King’s Cross.
Witnesses described seeing a man with a large knife.
Armed officers were deployed to Huntingdon station, where the train made an unplanned stop and the two people were arrested, police said.
An eyewitness who was traveling on the train said he saw an “extremely bloodied” victim. The man, who gave his name as Gavin, told Sky News he believed he saw a suspect tasered before he was arrested.
He said police shouted “Get down, get down” as they got closer to him.
“He then was waving a knife, quite a large knife, and then they detained him,” the eyewitness said.
“I think it was a Taser that got him down in the end,” he said.
Video shared on social media of the immediate aftermath of the incident showed dozens of police and emergency vehicles with flashing blue lights gathered outside Huntingdon station. In one video armed officers were seen sprinting down a platform at the station toward the front end of a stationary train.
British Transport Police Chief Superintendent Chris Casey called it “a shocking incident” and said his thoughts were with those injured and their families.
“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,” he said. “At this early stage it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident.”
Police responding to a stabbing attack walk along the platform at Huntingdon Station in Cambridgeshire, England. Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images
Emergency first responders said they had mobilized a large-scale response to the stabbing attack, including sending several air ambulances.
In a statement on X, the East of England Ambulance Service said it had sent “numerous ambulances, tactical commanders, our Hazardous Area Response Team, and critical care teams,” from several regional jurisdictions.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the incident “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,” he said on X.
The Huntingdon, England, train station in Cambridgeshire where several people were stabbed on a train on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. Chris Radburn/AP
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she was “deeply saddened to hear about the stabbings,” and that her “thoughts go out to all those affected.”
Mahmood said she is receiving regular updates on the investigation and urged people to avoid “speculation at this early stage” as to what was behind the stabbings.
The rail company that operates trains on the East Coast Main Line, London North Eastern Railway (LNER), said that it was “experiencing major disruption across the LNER route.”
The East Coast Main Line is one of the UK’s busiest and most important railway routes. It connects major cities, running from London King’s Cross to Edinburgh Waverly in Scotland.
“Our advice is ‘Do Not Travel’. Please defer your travel where you can,” LNER said.
About the Author
