U.K. Police Say 10 People In Hospital After Train Stabbing Attack, 9 With Life-Threatening Injuries
LONDON (AP) — British police said 10 people were hospitalized, nine with life-threatening injuries, and counter-terrorism police were supporting the investigation after a mass stabbing attack on a London-bound train on Saturday evening.
British Transport Police, which has led the response as it is responsible for security issues on trains, said in a statement early on Sunday that two men had been arrested in connection with the stabbings.
“Ten people were taken to hospital, nine of whom are thought to have life-threatening injuries,” the statement said. “This has been declared a major incident and Counter Terrorism Police are supporting our investigation as we work to establish the full circumstances and motivation of this incident.”
Police also said “Plato”, the national code word used by police and emergency services when responding to what could be a “predatory terrorist attack”, had been initiated. This statement was later canceled, but the reason for the attack was not disclosed.
Detective Chief Inspector Chris Casey said: “We are carrying out urgent investigations to establish what happened and it may be some time before we are in a position to confirm further.” “It would be inappropriate to speculate about the causes of the incident at this early stage.”
The attack took place as the Doncaster to London King’s Cross train was heading south towards Huntingdon, a market town a few kilometers northwest of the university city of Cambridge.
When the train pulled into Huntingdon, emergency services, including armed police and air ambulances, responded quickly. The attack appears to have been quickly brought under control after the train reached the station, and police officers wearing forensic suits and a police dog can be seen on the platform.
Local police force Cambridgeshire Constabulary said armed police attended the incident after officers were called to the scene at Huntingdon station at 7.39pm on Saturday. It added that two men were arrested at the station, located about 75 miles (120 kilometers) north of London.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his “thoughts are with everyone affected” following the “terrible incident”.
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayor Paul Bristow said he heard “horrible scenes” on the train.
London North Eastern Railway (LNER), which operates East Coast Mainline services in the UK, confirmed the incident occurred on one of its trains and appealed to passengers not to travel due to “major disruption”.
