10 people hospitalized after UK train stabbing attack, 9 with life-threatening injuries : NPR

Emergency personnel inspect a train at Huntingdon station in Cambridgeshire, England, after people were stabbed on Saturday November 1, 2025.

Chris Radburn/PA/AP

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Chris Radburn/PA/AP

LONDON (AP) — British police say 10 people have been hospitalized, including nine with life-threatening injuries, following a mass stabbing attack on a London-bound train Saturday night, and that counterterrorism police are supporting the investigation.

In a statement on Sunday morning, British Transport Police, which has taken the lead in the response as it is responsible for security matters on trains, said two individuals had been arrested in connection with the stabbings.

“Ten people were transported to hospital and nine may have suffered life-threatening injuries,” the statement said. “This has been declared a major incident and counter-terrorism police are supporting our investigation while we work to establish the full circumstances and motivation for this incident.”

Police also said ‘Plato’, the national code word used by police and emergency services to respond to what could be a ‘marauding terrorist attack’, had been issued. This statement was later rescinded, but no motive for the attack was revealed.

“We are carrying out urgent investigations to establish what happened, and it could be some time before we are able to confirm anything,” Chief Superintendent Chris Casey said. “At this early stage it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident.”

The attack took place as the Doncaster to London King’s Cross train was heading south towards Huntingdon, a market town a few miles northwest of the university town of Cambridge.

Emergency services, including armed police and air ambulances, responded quickly when the train arrived in Huntingdon. The attack appeared to have been brought under control quickly after the train arrived at the station, and police officers wearing forensic suits, accompanied by a police dog, could be seen on the platform.

Cambridgeshire Local Police said armed officers were present at the scene after officers were called to the scene at Huntingdon station at 7:39 p.m. on Saturday. It added that the two people were arrested at the station, located around 120 kilometers north of London.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his “thoughts were with everyone affected” after the “appalling incident”.

Paul Bristow, mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said he had heard of “horrific scenes” on the train.

London North Eastern Railway, or LNER, which operates East Coast Mainline services in the UK, confirmed the incident occurred on one of its trains and urged passengers not to travel due to “major disruption”.