Key events
What we know so far
It’s nearing 6am in London and if you are just catching up with the news, here is a quick recap of what we know so far about the Cambridgeshire train stabbing attack.
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Nine people have been hospitalised with life-threatening injuries after a mass stabbing on a train travelling from Doncaster to London King’s Cross on Saturday evening. A tenth person suffered non life-threatening injuries.
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A man with a large knife is believed to have been shot with a Taser by police after the attack on the high speed train after it left Peterborough station in Cambridgeshire.
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British Transport Police (BTP) said two people have been arrested over the stabbings which happened on the 6.25pm train service. Counter-terrorism police are also involved in the investigation.
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Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer described the attack as “deeply concerning”.
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Witnesses have spoken of seeing a man with a large knife and passengers hiding in the toilets to escape the rampage, The Times reported. One told the paper there was “blood everywhere” and people were getting “stamped” on by others as they tried to flee.
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London North Eastern Railway, which operates East Coast Mainline services in the UK, said disruption to services in the area was expected to last until Monday, with passengers advised to defer travel.
Travel disruptions expected through to Monday
LNER, which operates East Coast Mainline services in the UK, said disruption to its services between London Kings Cross and Lincoln, Doncaster, Leeds, Bradford Forster Square and Harrogate was expected to last until Monday, with passengers advised to defer their travel where possible.
Knife crime in England and Wales has been steadily rising since 2011, according to official government data. While Britain has some of the strictest gun controls in the world, rampant knife crime has been branded a “national crisis” by Starmer. His government has tried to rein in the use of knives.
Nearly 60,000 blades have been either “seized or surrendered” in England and Wales as part of government efforts to halve knife crime within a decade, the interior ministry said on Wednesday.
Carrying a knife in public can be punishable by up to four years in prison, and the government said knife murders had dropped by 18% in the last year.
People at the scene of the train stabbing have described some horrifying details.
Olly Foster told the BBC he initially heard people shouting “run, run, there’s a guy literally stabbing everyone”, and believed it might have been a prank related to Halloween.
Foster said that people quickly started pushing through the carriage, and he noticed his hand was “covered in blood” as there was “blood all over the chair” he had leaned on.
An older man “blocked” the attacker from stabbing a younger girl, leaving him with injuries to his head and neck, Mr Foster said, adding other passengers used their clothing to try and stem the bleeding.
He said the incident “felt like forever”.
Here is a map showing the location of the incident:
Summary
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Nine people have been left with life-threatening injuries after a mass stabbing on a train travelling from Doncaster to London King’s Cross on Saturday. A tenth person suffered non life-threatening injuries.
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Counter-terrorism police are involved in the investigation.
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A man with a large knife is believed to have been shot with a Taser by police after the attack on a high speed train after it left Peterborough station in Cambridgeshire.
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British Transport Police (BTP) said two people have been arrested over the stabbings which happened on the 6.25pm train service.
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Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer described the attack as “deeply concerning”.
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BTP said a major incident was declared, and at one point declared “Plato”, the national code word used by police and emergency services when responding to a “marauding terror attack”, before the latter declaration was subsequently rescinded.
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Witnesses have spoken of seeing a man with a large knife and passengers hiding in the toilets to escape the rampage, The Times reported. One told the paper there was “blood everywhere” and people were getting “stamped” on by others as they tried to flee.
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Images from the scene and from social media showed scores of blue-light police cars and emergency vehicles in a station car park, and a team of armed police running towards the stationary train at Huntingdon station. Officers wearing forensic suits, with a police dog, could be seen on the platform.
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The attack is understood to have started shortly after the LNER train left Peterborough station.
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Ch Supt Chris Casey said: “This is a shocking incident and first and foremost my thoughts are with those who have been injured this evening and their families … At this early stage it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident.”
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MP for Huntingdon Ben Obese-Jecty called the incident “appalling and devastating”.
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London North Eastern Railway, which operates East Coast Mainline services in the UK, said disruption to services in the area was expected to last until Monday, with passengers advised to defer their travel where possible.
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What we don’t yet know: the identity of the victims, and the identity of the arrested suspects.
David Horne, managing director of train operator London North Eastern Railway, said the company is “deeply shocked and saddened by this serious incident”.
He said in a statement: “Our thoughts are very much with everyone involved.”
“I would like to thank the emergency services for their quick and professional response and the care they have provided to those injured. Anyone with information who hasn’t already spoken to police is urged to contact British Transport Police.
“The safety and wellbeing of everyone affected will remain our priority. We will continue to do everything we can to support our customers and colleagues during this difficult time.”
Here are some more images from the scene. It is 3am now in Cambridgeshire.
Home secretary urges public not to speculate
The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has urged the public to “avoid comment and speculation” in the wake of the stabbings and said she was receiving regular updates on the investigation.
I am deeply saddened to hear about the stabbings in Huntingdon.
My thoughts go out to all those affected.
Two suspects have been immediately arrested and taken into custody.
I am receiving regular updates on the investigation.
I urge people to avoid comment and…
— Shabana Mahmood MP (@ShabanaMahmood) November 1, 2025
Some more reaction is coming in.
Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, said she was “deeply disturbed” by the reports from Huntingdon.
“This is an absolutely horrific attack and my thoughts are with all those affected including the emergency responders at the scene,” she wrote on X.
Deeply disturbed by the reports emerging from Huntingdon.
This is an absolutely horrific attack and my thoughts are with all those affected including the emergency responders at the scene. https://t.co/rJ2t3z27Vx
— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) November 1, 2025
Trains will be disrupted until Monday
London North Eastern Railway, which operates East Coast Mainline services in the UK, said disruption to services in the area was expected to last until Monday, with passengers advised to defer their travel where possible.
Witness describes ‘blood everywhere’
Some witness accounts of the incident have started to come through.
Witnesses have spoken of seeing a man with a large knife and passengers hiding in the toilets to escape the rampage, The Times reported. One told the paper there was “blood everywhere” and people were getting “stamped” on by others as they tried to flee. The witness said: “I heard some people shouting we love (you).”
The Sun said another witness described the attack as “like something from a film”, adding: “It was a terrible scene, really violent.”
One man, who gave his name as Gavin, told Sky News he believed he saw a suspect being tasered before he was arrested.
He said: “Essentially, as they got closer to him, started shouting, like, get down get down. He then was waving a knife, quite a large knife, and then they detained him.
“I think it was a Taser that got him down in the end.”
What we don’t know:
We are yet to receive any details from the police on the identity of the injured people and the two arrested suspects.
Everything we know so far
We have pulled together an explainer on the attack and all the details we know so far:
Chief superintendent says ‘not appropriate to speculate on the causes of incident’
British Transport Police Chief Superintendent Chris Casey has been speaking.
“This is a shocking incident and first and foremost my thoughts are with those who have been injured this evening and their families.
“We’re conducting urgent enquiries to establish what has happened, and it could take some time before we are in a position to confirm anything further. At this early stage it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident.
“Our response is ongoing at the station and will be for some time. Cordons are in place and trains are not currently running through the area, and there are also some road closures.
“I thank the public for their patience and their cooperation this evening which has already greatly assisted our policing response. We will update you again as soon as we have more information.”
Some images from the scene:
Major incident declared
A statement from the British Transport Police said the attack has been declared a ‘major incident’.
The statement said: “We can confirm that at 7.42pm today (1 November) British Transport Police were called to reports of a multiple stabbing on board the 6.25pm train service from Doncaster to London King’s Cross.
“Officers immediately attended Huntingdon station alongside paramedics.
“Armed police from Cambridgeshire Police boarded the train and arrested two people in connection to the incident who have been taken to police custody.
“Ten people have been taken to hospital with nine believed to have suffered life-threatening injuries. One is being treated for non life-threatening injuries. There have been no fatalities.
“This has been declared a major incident and Counter Terrorism Policing are supporting our investigation whilst we work to establish the full circumstances and motivation for this incident.”
Police used, then rescinded terror attack code word
The Press Association is reporting that police responding to the mass stabbing on a train near Huntingdon at one point declared “Plato”, the national code word used by police and emergency services when responding to a “marauding terror attack”. The declaration was later rescinded, British Transport Police said.
Opening summary
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of a stabbing attack on a train in Cambridgeshire.
Counter-terrorism police are involved in an investigation into the mass stabbing on a train which left nine people with life-threatening injuries.
A man with a large knife is believed to have been shot with a Taser by police after the attack on a high speed train after it left Peterborough station in Cambridgeshire.
British Transport Police (BTP) said two people have been arrested over the stabbings which happened on the 6.25pm train service from Doncaster to London King’s Cross on Saturday.
Police said there have been no fatalities so far from the attacks which prime minister Sir Keir Starmer described as “deeply concerning”. A tenth person suffered non life-threatening injuries.
Stay with us for the latest developments.
