Knife attack on a train in England: Probably not a terrorist attack

Emergency services were alerted at 7:42 p.m. (local time) on Saturday evening. A violent incident had occurred on a London North Eastern Railway (LNER) train. Several people were stabbed and seriously injured in a knife attack.

The attack occurred on a train traveling from Doncaster in northern England to London . The train was subsequently stopped in Huntingdon, near Cambridge, and armed police were deployed. Emergency services dispatched numerous ambulances, emergency teams, and three rescue helicopters to the station.

Dramatic scenes on the train

Ten people were taken to hospital, British railway police said. Initially, nine of them were considered to have life-threatening injuries. Now, two of the victims remain in critical condition. Four others have since been released from hospital, railway police chief John Loveless announced on Sunday morning.

Passengers describe dramatic scenes. One witness told The Times newspaper that he saw a man with a large knife and "blood everywhere." Train passengers locked themselves in the toilets.

A passenger told the BBC he heard people shouting, "Run, run, someone's stabbing everyone!" He initially thought it was a Halloween prank. However, as the passengers rushed past him to escape, he noticed his hand was covered in blood. According to the witness, it came from a seat he had been leaning against.

The weapon used is still unclear. Two suspects were arrested after the incident. British counter-terrorism police were called in to assist with the investigation overnight. According to British Transport Police, it is a "serious incident." However, investigators do not believe the attack was "terrorist." "At this stage, there is no indication that this is a terrorist incident," said railway police chief Loveless.

Interior Minister warns against speculation

Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the incident as "deeply troubling." "My thoughts are with all those affected, and I thank the emergency services for their efforts," said Britain's head of government.

Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood urged the public to "avoid comments and speculation at this early stage." New information on the status of the investigation will be provided as soon as new findings become available.

Huntingdon is located in the eastern English county of Cambridgeshire, about 100 kilometers north of London. According to the rail operator National Rail, the town's train station has been closed.

London North Eastern Railway (LNER) suspended all train services across its entire network due to the large-scale police operation. LNER operates routes in eastern England and Scotland, with stops including London, Cambridge, York, and Edinburgh.

Knife crime continues in Great Britain

According to government figures, knife violence in England and Wales has steadily increased since 2011. Starmer described this as a "national crisis".

As part of his government's efforts to halve knife crime within ten years, almost 60,000 knives have been "confiscated or surrendered" in England and Wales, according to the Home Office. Carrying a knife in public can be punished with up to four years in prison. The number of fatal knife attacks fell by 18 percent last year, according to the government.

A few weeks ago, an attacker armed with a knife killed a man outside a synagogue in Manchester . This attack, which occurred in early October, was classified as "terrorist" by British authorities.

AR/pgr (dpa, afp, rtr, ap)