Mass stabbing shocks UK! Passengers flee as knife-wielding man attacks on train, leaving 10 injured

According to AFP, armed officers, supported by multiple police cars and ambulances, rushed to Huntingdon railway station in Cambridgeshire after the alarm was raised and the train was brought to a halt.

The train had been travelling from Doncaster in northern England to London’s King’s Cross, a busy weekend route.

“Ten people have been taken to hospital following a multiple stabbing on a train in Cambridgeshire. Nine are believed to have suffered life-threatening injuries,” the British Transport Police said on X, adding that counterterrorism units were assisting with the investigation.

Witnesses described chaotic and horrific scenes as a man wielding a large knife began attacking passengers. One passenger told The Times there was “blood everywhere” as people hid in washrooms or tried to flee. “Some passengers were getting stamped on by others,” the witness said, adding they heard people shouting, “We love you.”

When the train stopped, witnesses told Sky News they saw police taser and restrain a man holding a knife on the platform.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the “appalling” incident, saying it was “deeply concerning.”

“My thoughts are with all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services for their swift response,” Starmer said in a statement. Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood later confirmed two arrests had been made.

Large-scale response

Police said they were alerted at around 7:40 p.m. local time, shortly after the train had departed from Peterborough.

The train remained cordoned off late Saturday as a crime scene, with passengers being led away in space blankets, according to AFP reporters at the scene.

The East of England Ambulance Service said it had mounted a “large-scale response,” deploying ambulances, air ambulances, and tactical commanders.

Train operator London North Eastern Railway (LNER) suspended services on the route, warning of “major disruption” and urging passengers not to travel.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mayor Paul Bristow described “horrendous scenes” at Huntingdon station and offered his “thoughts and prayers” to those affected.

Authorities have not yet disclosed the identities of the suspects or a possible motive.

Knife crime- A growing concern in the UK

The attack comes amid growing concern over knife violence in the UK. Official data show knife crime in England and Wales has been rising steadily since 2011, despite some of the world’s toughest gun laws, AFP reported.

Starmer’s Labour government has vowed to halve knife crime within a decade.

Nearly 60,000 blades have been seized or surrendered in the past year, and knife murders have reportedly dropped by 18 percent, according to the Home Office.

The country has seen several recent stabbings, including a deadly attack at a Manchester synagogue earlier this month and another knife assault in London last week that left one person dead and two injured.