london
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It took just 11 minutes from the time British police received an emergency call about a stabbing on a London-bound train until the suspect was arrested.
Officials said 11 victims were hospitalized in the attack, including one railroad worker who was in critical but stable condition.
Officials said the casualties would have been worse had it not been for the actions of “heroic” railway staff who tried to stop the attackers on the train and the train driver who arranged for the train to be diverted to a nearby station.
The high-speed London North Eastern Railway (LNER) train, carrying passengers from the north of England to the British capital on Saturday night, had just left Peterborough station in Cambridgeshire when the attack occurred. The first emergency call to Cambridgeshire Police was made at around 7:39pm local time. By 7:50 p.m., officers had arrested the 32-year-old British suspect on the platform at Huntingdon Station, police told CNN.
The train had just left Peterborough station and made an unscheduled stop at Huntingdon when the stabbing occurred.
The railway worker, who was seriously injured after confronting the attacker, has been named as Samir Zitouni, 48, who has worked for the LNER for more than 20 years.
“In a moment of crisis, Sam did not hesitate to step forward to protect those around him,” said LNER Managing Director David Horne. “His actions were incredibly brave and we are extremely proud of him and all of our colleagues who acted with such courage that night.”
The family added in a statement: “We are extremely proud of Sam and his bravery. On Saturday night, police called him a hero, but to us he will always be a hero.”
Interior Minister Shabana Mahmoud paid tribute to him on Monday, saying he “ran towards danger, confronted the attackers for a long time and stopped the train from proceeding.”
British Transport Police (BTP) said: “Detectives have examined CCTV from inside the train and it is clear that his actions were heroic and undoubtedly saved many lives.”
BTP said in an update on Tuesday that the other three casualties remained stable in hospital.
Mr Alexander also paid tribute to the emergency services, especially train drivers. “He had the presence of mind to call the Network Rail signals and put the train on the slow line towards Huntingdon Station and safety.”
The high-speed train was scheduled to pass through the station on the rapid line, but the driver and signal staff quickly arranged for it to be diverted to the slow line and parked next to the platform.
Open-source data shows signalers made the first change to the train’s planned route at 7:40 p.m. local time, just a minute after police received the first report of the attack. Another local train had already arrived at the Huntingdon platform. After departure, signallers were able to safely guide the LNER train to the platform, where it stopped by 7:44 p.m.
Huntington Station happened to be around the corner from the headquarters of Cambridgeshire Constabulary, and responding officers and armed officers quickly arrived on the scene.
Armed police were seen running down the station platform, evacuating passengers and trying to neutralize the ongoing threat, Britain’s PA media news agency said.
Train driver Andrew Johnson told ITV News: “I was just doing my job. It was my colleague who was in hospital who was brave.” Mr Johnson is from Peterborough and served in the Royal Navy for 17 years, according to LNER.
Mr Johnson has been praised for remaining calm as the attack unfolded and for not choosing to make an emergency stop between stations, which would have made it more difficult for authorities to respond. Instead, quick thinking by Johnson and the signalman allowed the train to stop at Huntingdon. The next opportunity would have been at the station 7 minutes away.
Train drivers in the UK undergo extensive route training and are required to know the location of every signal and track layout on their route, including in the dark. Signalers have similar detailed knowledge.
“The drivers did everything they were trained to do, at the right time and in the right way,” Nigel Roebuck, organizer of train drivers’ union ASLEF and chief executive of LNER, told British media.
“He showed true courage, true dedication and true determination in the most difficult of circumstances,” Roebuck added. “Tonight our thoughts are with his colleagues who are still in intensive care.”
Police are still trying to determine the motive for the attack, but said there was no evidence to suggest it was terrorism-related. Mr Mahmoud said the suspect was not known to security services, counter-terrorism police or the Home Office’s prevention program, which is at the heart of Britain’s counter-terrorism strategy.
The man arrested, identified as Anthony Williams, 32, of Peterborough, was charged with 10 counts of attempted murder, one count of actual bodily harm and one count of possession of a knife. He was also charged with a separate count of attempted murder in connection with the incident at a London train station early Saturday morning. Mr Williams was remanded in custody after appearing in court on Monday.
According to Britain’s PA media, the defendant was not asked to enter a plea in court and when asked for his address, he replied, “I have no fixed abode.” His next court appearance is scheduled for December 1st.
A second man was initially arrested at the scene, but was later released without being charged.
Meanwhile, police are investigating three further knife incidents believed to be linked to the attackers in Peterborough on Friday night and Saturday morning. One of the incidents involved a stabbing in Peterborough city centre, which left a 14-year-old boy in hospital with minor injuries.
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.
At first she thought it was a Halloween prank, but as a man yelled “someone’s got a knife” and more people ran onto the train, it became clear it was a real attack.
Other witnesses said people fled through the carriages for safety, and some even tried to barricade themselves in the train’s toilets. Other passengers were able to hide in the train’s buffet car.
Another witness, Thomas McLachlan, told the BBC: “There were definitely a lot of heroes that day. There were a lot of kind people who just wanted to help others. There were people handing out blankets and hand warmers.”
Mr McLachlan said he saw one injured person who had been slashed in the face. The suspect and another witness told local media that they heard the man was “trying to protect a young girl from the attack” when he was stabbed.
In a statement, the football club said one of the victims was Scunthorpe United player Jonathan Joucher, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
At this stage, very little other information has been released about the other victims, including their ages.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
CNN’s Catherine Nicholls and Sophie Tanno contributed to this report.
