British police say multiple people stabbed on train near Cambridge

British police announced on Saturday that “several people” had been stabbed on a train to London, near Cambridge, and that two individuals had been arrested in connection with the incident.

Emergency services, including armed police and air ambulances, quickly arrived on the scene shortly after being alerted after 7:30 p.m. local time as the train arrived in Huntingdon, a market town a few miles northwest of the university town of Cambridge. The two people were arrested at the station, located around 75 miles north of London.

The East of England Ambulance Service wrote on X that it could “confirm that we have transported several patients to hospital”.

British Transport Police, who took the lead in the response as they are responsible for security matters on trains, said “several people” had been stabbed on the Doncaster-London King’s Cross train as it headed towards Huntingdon. This provided no motive for the attack.

British newspaper The Times reported that a witness described seeing a man with a large knife. The witness told The Times there was “blood everywhere”, people were hiding in toilets to escape, and some were being “trampled by others” as they tried to flee.

Paul Bristow, mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said in an article on X that he had heard of “horrific scenes” on the train. Cambridge is located in the county of Cambridgeshire.

In a social media post, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the attack an “appalling incident” and “deeply concerning”, and urged people in the area to “follow police advice”.

“My thoughts are with everyone affected and my thanks go to the emergency services for their response,” he wrote.