UK police said on Sunday two British nationals were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following a mass stabbing on a London-bound train, adding the attack was not a “terrorist incident”.
The men in custody were “a 32-year-old male Black British national, and a 35-year-old man, a British national of Caribbean descent,” British Transport Police superintendent John Loveless told reporters.
“At this stage, there is nothing to suggest that this is a terrorist incident,” the officer said.
Officer Loveless added that of the nine people who were treated for life-threatening injuries on Saturday, four had been released from the hospital, and two remained with life-threatening injuries. A total of 11 people were injured in the mass stabbing attack.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his “thoughts are with all those affected” after the “appalling incident.”
The mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Paul Bristow, said he had heard of “horrendous scenes” on the train.
How the UK train incident unfolded
The mass stabbing attack took place on Saturday night as the train from Doncaster in northern England to London’s King’s Cross station was about halfway through its 2-hour journey and approaching Huntingdon, a market town a few miles northwest of the university city of Cambridge and 120 kilometres (75 miles) north of London.
Bloodied passengers were brought out of the long-distance train when it made an emergency stop in Huntingdon, where dozens of police waited, soon after multiple stabbings were reported onboard.
Emergency services, including armed police and air ambulances, responded quickly as the train drew into Huntingdon. The attack was contained swiftly after the train arrived at the station, and police officers wearing forensic suits, with a police dog, could be seen on the platform.
A passenger told the BBC he heard people shouting “run, run, there’s a guy literally stabbing everyone,” and initially thought it might have been a Halloween prank. But as passengers pushed past him to get away, he noticed his hand was covered in blood from a chair he had leaned on.
