UK police have ruled out terrorism in connection with Saturday, November 1 mass stabbing attack on a train in central England. The attack left two victims fighting for their lives in the hospital.
Two British-born men were arrested following the incident, which saw 10 people taken to the hospital by ambulance, with another person later presenting for treatment that evening. As of Sunday morning, a spokesperson for the British Transport Police confirmed that two victims remain in a life-threatening condition.
“At this stage, there is nothing to suggest that this is a terrorist incident,” the Superintendent told reporters during a press statement, adding that officers are working to establish the full motivation. Police had earlier confirmed that counter-terrorism officers were supporting the investigation out of precaution.
The two suspects, both born in the UK, were arrested within eight minutes of police receiving their first emergency call at approximately 7:42 p.m. local time on Saturday. One suspect is a 32-year-old Black British national, while the other is a 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
The incident, which the British Defense Secretary described as an “isolated attack,” occurred on a train traveling from the northern city of Doncaster to London’s King’s Cross. Armed officers were deployed to Huntingdon station, where the train made an unplanned stop and the arrests were made.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos and train seats covered in blood. One passenger told the BBC she initially “heard some screaming and shouting” from a carriage down the line. She described seeing a man running past with a visible, bleeding wound, shouting that someone had a knife. After seeing more people running, she grabbed her coat and moved down the train in an attempt to get further away.
Another witness, who was also traveling on the train, told Sky News he saw an “extremely bloodied” victim and believed he saw one of the suspects tasered before being detained.
Britain’s King Charles offered his “deepest sympathies” to those affected by the attack in a statement on Sunday. The King said he was “truly appalled and shocked to hear of the dreadful knife attack” and offered his “deepest sympathy and thoughts” to all those affected. Prime Minister Keir Starmer also stated that his “thoughts are with all those affected” after the “appalling incident.”
The East Coast Main Line is one of the UK’s busiest and most important railway routes, connecting major cities from London to Edinburgh in Scotland.
