Police investigate four knife incidents possibly linked to Cambridgeshire train attack | UK news

Police investigating a mass stabbing on a high-speed train in Cambridgeshire are examining four alleged stabbings that occurred hours before Saturday evening’s attacks.

Questions from police increased as Anthony Williams, 32, appeared in court on Monday on a series of attempted murder charges related to two stabbings.

British Transport police (BTP) had identified Williams as a suspect in a separate, earlier stabbing attack on London’s transport system before he boarded the high-speed train where the mass stabbing allegedly took place, The Guardian has learned.

BTP said they looked for him and knew his name but were unable to find him before chaos broke out on the train between Doncaster and London.

As well as the London incident, the investigation into the stabbings on the bullet train has expanded to include three earlier alleged knife-related incidents in and around Peterborough on Friday evening and Saturday morning.

Williams, from Peterborough, was charged with 10 counts of attempted murder following the stabbings on a train from Doncaster to London on Saturday evening.

He was also charged at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court with a separate charge of attempted murder and possession of a bladed instrument in connection with the incident at Pontoon Dock station on the Docklands Light Railway in east London on Saturday morning.

BTP said it received a report of an attack at Pontoon Dock at 12.46pm on Saturday, in which a man suffered stab wounds to his face.

A spokesman for BTP said: “Police subsequently identified Williams as a suspect and took steps to locate and arrest him.”

Cambridgeshire police gave details of three other incidents in Peterborough on Friday and Saturday morning. The first of these was the stabbing of a 14-year-old boy, who suffered minor injuries, by a man in Peterborough city centre.

A man was later seen with a knife at a barbers in Fletton, Peterborough, at 7.25pm ​​on Friday. The incident was reported to the police at 21.10. The Cambridgeshire force said an offense was recorded but officers were not dispatched.

Officers were called to the same barbershop at 9.25am on Saturday. They arrived 18 minutes later but could not find the suspect.

Cambridgeshire police said: “We are currently reviewing all incidents within the time frame to understand whether there are any other potential offences.”

Police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct decided there was no need to investigate the police’s conduct in the three incidents.

Details about those who died in the train attack have emerged. Scunthorpe United footballer Jonathan Gjoshe was one of 11 people treated in hospital after the incident.

Four people remained hospitalized and seven had been discharged Tuesday evening, according to police. The four people include a train staff member who is said to be in a stable but critical condition, and three passengers who are said to be in a stable condition.

Cambridgeshire police are planning an internal review into three stabbing incidents reported to them in the Peterborough area 24 hours before the train attack.

Williams was remanded in custody following his trial and BTP deputy chief constable Stuart Cundy said: “Our investigation is also examining other possible related offences.”

Williams is also charged with assault causing actual bodily harm for an alleged assault on a police officer in the holding room following the train incident.

On Monday, train driver Andrew Johnson, who was praised for steering the train to Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire and for police being able to intervene, spoke for the first time.

He was using the service from Doncaster to London at 6.25pm ​​when violence broke out on board. He contacted a signalman and the decision was made to divert the train.

Johnson said: “As train drivers we carry a lot of responsibility. We implement our emergency response and keep our knowledge of the route up to date, so we know exactly where to stop and what to do if the need arises.

“The action I took is the same as other drivers. I think my colleagues in the car are real heroes and I want to commend their courage.”

The government has ruled out the routine installation of knife belts at train stations, and in the House of Commons on Monday home secretary Shabana Mahmood praised the bravery of police, emergency services, train staff and passengers.

“I would also like to recognize the breathtaking bravery of those on board the train, including the heroic actions of the passengers and train crew who intercepted the attacker,” Mahmood said.

“I would like to draw particular attention to one member of the crew on the ship who ran towards the danger, confronted the attacker for a long time and stopped his progress on the train.

“He put himself in danger, resulting in serious injuries and remains in hospital today in a critical but stable condition. He went to work on Saturday to do his job. Today he is a hero and will forever be.”

Mahmood added: “Since Saturday’s attack, British Transport police have increased their presence at key points on the transport network, but it is worth noting that as this was an isolated attack, their operational assessment of the risk posed to our trains has not changed.

“I know ideas have already been suggested about how the police force should change in response to this incident.

“Once the facts are known, we must examine what more could have been done to prevent this terrible incident from happening and whether there are measures we should take now to better protect the public on our streets and on our trains. But this should only be done when we have all the facts.”