UK: Police arrest two after multiple people stabbed on train

Armed police responded to a stabbing on a passenger train in Huntingdon, roughly two hours north of London. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was "deeply" concerned by the "appalling incident."

Two men have been arrested following a stabbing incident on a passenger train in eastern England, police in the United Kingdom said Saturday night.

British Transport Police said ten people have been taken to hospital, with nine believed to have suffered life-threatening injuries.

One person was being treated for non-life threatening injuries, and there were no fatalities at the scene.

British Transport Police declared it a major incident, adding that Counter Terrorism Policing was supporting the investigation to establish the full circumstances and motivation for the incident.

Armed officers boarded train after stabbing report

British Transport Police said armed police from Cambridgeshire Police boarded the train and arrested two people in connection to the incident.

Chief Superintendent at the British Transport Police, Chris Casey, said it was a "shocking incident" and that his thoughts were with those injured 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," he added.

PM Keir Starmer says train incident 'appalling' and 'deeply concerning'

In a post on X, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the incident was "deeply concerning" and that his thoughts were with those affected. He also thanked emergency services for their response.

British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she was "deeply saddened to hear about the stabbings" and that her "thoughts go out to all those affected."

She urged people to avoid commenting or speculating "at this early stage" of the investigation.

Authorities have not provided information on the suspects' identities or a possible motive.

Numerous critical care teams and tactical commanders rushed to scene

The East of England Ambulance Service, responsible for urgent medical response for people in the region, said they mobilized a "large-scale response to Huntingdon Railway Station which included numerous ambulances, tactical commanders, our Hazardous Area Response Team."

Critical care teams, including the East Anglian Air Ambulance and Essex and Herts Air Ambulance, were also at the scene.

"We can confirm we have transported multiple patients to hospital."

'Major disruption' on busy train route 

The train operating company that runs most of the passenger train services on the East Coast Main Line, London North Eastern Railway (LNER), said in a post on X that they were "experiencing major disruption" across the LNER route.

"Our advice is 'Do Not Travel'. Please defer your travel where you can," LNER said.

The East Coast Main Line is one of the UK's busiest routes, with trains that connect London with major cities like York, Newcastle, and Edinburgh.

The train in question was on the route between Doncaster and London, and was bound for the UK capital.

Edited by: Karl Sexton