Man faces attempted murder charges over UK train attack
A man accused of carrying out a mass stabbing on a train has been charged with 11 counts of attempted murder, including a separate incident at a railway station in East London earlier the same day.
Police said they were also investigating whether there was any connection between these incidents and a stabbing that occurred the night before in the suspect’s hometown of Peterborough and two other incidents there.
11 injured in mass stabbing on London-bound train; They included a train crewman who was in critical but stable condition on Monday and was injured while trying to stop the attack.
British national Anthony Williams, 32, appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Monday and was remanded in custody until his next hearing on December 1.
Prosecutors charged him with 11 counts of attempted murder, one count of assault causing actual bodily harm and two counts of possession of a bladed article.
British Transport Police said ten of the attempted murder charges were linked to the train attack, while the eleventh was linked to the incident at London station.
Police ruled out terrorism and said the suspect acted alone.
Williams was arrested after the train made an emergency stop in the town of Huntingdon, about 120 kilometers north of London.
He was taken into custody within eight minutes of police receiving the initial emergency call, police said.
The minute-long stabbing spree sparked fear and panic on a train from Doncaster in northern England to London on Saturday evening.
🔴 Home Office Secretary of State @ShabanaMahmood makes a statement on the response to the Huntingdon train attack. Watch live ⬇️https://t.co/kPHjGXdS54 pic.twitter.com/riYCHFQnR1— UK House of Commons (@HouseofCommons) November 3, 2025
The train was about halfway through its journey and had just left a stop in Peterborough when police began receiving reports of people on the train being stabbed.
Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood said the most seriously injured victim was a train staff member who tried to stop the attacker and was “seriously injured”.
“He went to work on Saturday to do his job. Today he is a hero and will forever be,” Mahmood told MPs in the House of Commons. he said.
Police say they are investigating whether other incidents involving a man with a knife in Peterborough are linked.
“British Transport Police retains priority in the overall investigation, which will include these three incidents,” Cambridgeshire Police said in a statement. he said.
Police officers attended the stabbing of a 14-year-old boy who suffered minor injuries in Peterborough on Friday night, but were unable to locate the attacker.
On Friday night, a man with a knife appeared in a barber shop in the south of the city, and the police were called to the same place on Saturday morning.
English fifth-tier football team Scunthorpe United said their player Jonathan Gjoshe was one of the victims of the attack and remained in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Transport Minister Heidi Alexander said on Monday that the suspect was not known to security services.
He declined to comment on whether he was recognized in mental health services.
Five of the injured were released from hospital late Sunday.
Authorities said the attack was an isolated incident but increased security on the railway, with armed police officers patrolling major train stations on Monday.
The government has rejected calls for increased security measures such as airport-style passenger and baggage screening at 3,500 train stations in the UK, saying it would not be “proportionate or practical”.
with AP
