British police say two people remain in life-threatening condition after a mass stabbing on a London-bound train that injured 11 people. Two UK-born men, aged 32 and 35, are in custody, and authorities say the incident is not being treated as terrorism. The national Plato alert was briefly activated and later rescinded; no motive has been released. The train — travelling from Doncaster to London King’s Cross — made an emergency stop at Huntingdon where emergency services contained the incident.
Two People Remain Critically Injured After Mass Stabbing on London-Bound Train, Police Say
British police say two people remain in life-threatening condition after a mass stabbing on a London-bound train that injured 11 people. Two UK-born men, aged 32 and 35, are in custody, and authorities say the incident is not being treated as terrorism. The national Plato alert was briefly activated and later rescinded; no motive has been released. The train — travelling from Doncaster to London King’s Cross — made an emergency stop at Huntingdon where emergency services contained the incident.
13:28, 02.11.2025Security
Two People Remain Critically Injured After Mass Stabbing on London-Bound Train
LONDON — British police said Sunday that two people remain in life-threatening condition following a mass stabbing on a London-bound train the previous evening. Authorities emphasized the attack is not being treated as a terrorist incident.
Investigators said initial overnight assessments reported nine of the 10 people in critical condition. British Transport Police Superintendent John Loveless later confirmed that four of those victims have since been discharged from hospital and that an additional person arrived at hospital independently, bringing the total number of injured to 11. Two people remain in a life-threatening condition.
Loveless said the two people arrested remain in police custody and were both born in the United Kingdom. He identified one suspect as a 32-year-old Black British man and the other as a 35-year-old man of Caribbean descent. "There is nothing to suggest this is a terrorist incident," he said.
The attack occurred late Saturday as the long-distance service from Doncaster to London King’s Cross was approaching Huntingdon, about 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of the capital. The train made an emergency stop in Huntingdon after multiple stabbings were reported onboard and bloodied passengers spilled onto the platform.
Passenger Olly Foster told the BBC he heard people shouting, "Run, run, there’s a guy literally stabbing everyone," and at first thought it was a Halloween stunt. He later discovered his hand was covered in blood after leaning on a chair while escaping.
Emergency services, including armed officers and air ambulances, responded quickly when the train arrived in Huntingdon. Police said they initially activated the national code word Plato, used when responding to what could be a marauding terror attack, but that declaration was later rescinded. Authorities have not disclosed a motive.
Officers in forensic suits and a police dog were seen on the platform as investigators began examining the scene. Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed his sympathy, saying his "thoughts are with all those affected" by the "appalling incident." Paul Bristow, the mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said he had heard reports of "horrendous scenes."
London North Eastern Railway (LNER), which operates services on the East Coast Main Line, confirmed the incident occurred on one of its trains and warned of major disruption on the route through Monday as investigations and recovery efforts continue.