‘Heroic’ worker fighting for life after train attack
The crew member who tried to stop the stabber on an eastern England train is credited with saving “many”.
Source: Sky News, UK / X
A heroic British rail worker who “undoubtedly saved people’s lives” by trying to stop a train knife attacker is now fighting for life.
British Transport Police (BTP) said the staff member was one of 10 people taken to hospital after the mass stabbing on Saturday’s 6.25pm train service from Doncaster to London King’s Cross.
BTP declared a major incident when the train came to a stop in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, after passengers pulled the emergency alarms and two men were arrested eight minutes after police were called at 7.42pm.
One of the men has been released with no further action after officers established he was not involved.
A 32-year-old black British national remains in custody on suspicion of attempted murder. He is from Peterborough and boarded the train there, officers confirmed.
“This was a horrific attack that has had a wide impact,” BTP Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Cundy said.
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“My thoughts and those of everyone in British Transport Police are with those injured and their families – especially the brave member of rail staff whose family are being supported by specialist officers.
“Having viewed the CCTV from the train, the actions of the member of rail staff were nothing short of heroic and undoubtedly saved people’s lives.”
The man is the only person still fighting for life, BTP said. Five of the injured taken to hospital had since been discharged.
Police now say the incident was not believed to have been motivated by terrorism.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer called it an “appalling incident” which was “deeply concerning” while King Charles said he was “truly appalled and shocked”.
Huntingdon railway station remained taped off by police on Sunday morning – with the train still visible on the platform.
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A number of officers were positioned around the station and the road directly outside the station’s car park was shut with a number of police vehicles on the road.
Knife crime in England and Wales has risen 87 per cent over the past decade, with 54,587 offences last year alone, a two per cent rise from 2023 and among the highest rates in Europe, according to figures from the UK’s interior ministry.
In her statement, Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood said she was “deeply saddened” while urging people to avoid speculation about the incident.
The government is keen to stop rumours spreading on social media following an incident in Southport in north-west England in 2024, when internet claims over the murder of three young girls sparked days of rioting across the country.
Witness Olly Foster told the BBC that he was on the train which was heading towards London on Saturday evening when someone ran past him saying a man was stabbing “everyone, everything”.
“I put my hand on this chair … and then I look at my hand, and it’s covered in blood. And then I look at the chair, and there’s blood all over the chair. And then I look ahead and there’s blood on all the chairs,” he said.
Another witness told Sky News that a suspect was seen waving a large knife before being tasered by police.
The UK’s current threat level from terrorism is rated as “substantial” by security services, meaning an attack is considered “likely”.
After a number of serious attacks in 2017, the UK has had some quieter years in the 2020s, although last month three people were killed when a synagogue was attacked in Manchester.
-with AAP
