Britain was shocked by a mass stabbing on a train that targeted passengers passing through central England on its way to London on Saturday night, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer describing the attack as “deeply worrying”.
Nine people suffered life-threatening injuries in what British Transport Police described as a “serious incident”, with two still fighting for their lives in hospital on Sunday.
Two suspected attackers were taken into custody within minutes of police receiving the first emergency call as the train came to an emergency stop at Huntingdon station.
Authorities have now confirmed that they are two British-born men in their 30s. Police are working to determine the motive, but say there is no evidence to suggest a terrorist connection.
Here’s what we know about the stabbing.
A London North Eastern Railway (LNER) high-speed train left the northern city of Doncaster for London at 6:25pm local time on Saturday evening.
The train had just left Peterborough station in Cambridgeshire when the attack occurred.
Passenger Len Chambers told the BBC that he initially heard “shouts and screams” coming from one or two cars down the train, but then saw a man running onto the train with “obvious injuries” and bleeding profusely from his arm.
As more people passed by, Chambers grabbed her bag and coat. “I got up and moved forward on the train after them, trying to get as far as they could.”
Other witnesses who saw blood-soaked train seats said people ran through the cars for safety and some tried to barricade themselves in the train’s toilets.
Police received the first emergency call at around 7:42 p.m. local time and immediately dispatched armed officers. Two suspects were arrested after the train made an unplanned emergency stop at Huntingdon Station within eight minutes of the first emergency call.
Armed police were seen running down the station platform, evacuating passengers and trying to neutralize the ongoing threat, British news agency PA Media reported.
One witness, who identified himself as Gavin, said one of the suspects was shot with a police Taser. “Basically, as they got closer to him, they started shouting things like ‘get off, get off’… I think it was the Taser that finally got him off,” he told Sky News.
The traumatized train remained at Huntingdon Station Sunday morning, with medical equipment and other debris seen strewn on the platform.
A total of 11 victims were treated at hospitals. Ten people were taken to hospital by ambulance, nine with life-threatening injuries and another who presented himself that night.
British Transport Police Superintendent John Loveless told reporters on Sunday morning that two people were still fighting for their lives.
Little other information about the victims, including their ages, has been released at this stage.
Witnesses reported seeing people suffering from stab wounds and bleeding profusely.
Two suspects were arrested Saturday night on suspicion of attempted murder. Police said in an update on Sunday that both men were British nationals in their 30s.
Superintendent Lovelace said one was a 32-year-old black British man and the other was a 35-year-old Caribbean British man.
Both were born in England, he added. On Sunday morning, they remained at separate police stations for questioning.
Police are trying to determine the motive, but say there are no signs that the attack was terrorism-related. “At this stage, there is nothing to suggest this is a terrorist incident,” Lovelace said. “At this stage, it would be inappropriate to speculate on the cause of this incident.”
British Defense Secretary John Healy described the incident as an “isolated attack” in an interview with Sky News.
BTP initially declared “Plato” the national lingua franca when responding to “predatory terrorist attacks,” but later withdrew it.
The UK rarely experiences mass casualties and has a low murder rate compared to other Western countries.
Gun crime is particularly low, with 5,103 firearm-related offenses recorded in the country in the past year, according to government statistics.
In comparison, knife crime has increased overall since 2011. Around 51,527 knife crimes were recorded by armed forces in England and Wales in the previous 12 months to June 2025, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). 15,689 of those cases were recorded in London.
British politicians and other leading figures expressed shock at Saturday’s attack and offered their condolences to the victims.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote to X: “My thoughts are with everyone affected and I would like to thank the emergency services who responded. Anyone in the area should follow police advice.”
Interior Minister Shabana Mahmoud said she was “deeply saddened to hear about the stabbing” and that her “thoughts go out to all those affected”.
In a statement released by Buckingham Palace, King Charles said: “My wife and I were absolutely stunned and shocked to hear of the horrific knife attack that took place on a train in Cambridgeshire last night.”
“Our deepest sympathies and thoughts go to all those affected and their loved ones,” he added.
“A special thank you to the emergency services who responded to this horrific incident.”
The East Coast Main Line, on which the train ran, is one of the busiest and most important railway lines in the UK. It connects major cities from King’s Cross in London to Edinburgh Waverley in Scotland.
