UK police have ruled out terrorism in relation to Saturday’s mass stabbing attack on a train in central England, as two people remain in a life-threatening condition in hospital.
Two British-born men were arrested in connection to the attack, that saw 10 people taken to the hospital by ambulance while another person later self-presented that evening. As of Sunday morning, two victims remain in a life-threatening condition, British Transport Police Superintendent John Loveless told reporters.
“At this stage, there is nothing to suggest that this is a terrorist incident,” Loveless said during a press statement. “At this stage, it would not be appropriate to speculate on the cause of this incident,” he said, adding that officers are working to a establish full motivation. Police had earlier said that counter-terrorism officers were supporting the investigation.
One suspect is a 32-year-old, Black British national, while the other is a 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent, according to Loveless. Both suspects were born in the UK, he added.
The two suspects were arrested within eight minutes of police receiving their first emergency call at approximately 7.42 p.m. local time on Saturday evening.
The incident – which British Defense Secretary John Healey has described as an “isolated attack” in a Sky News interview – saw officers respond to an emergency call as the train was 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 two people were arrested.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos with train seats covered in blood as the attack took place. Passenger Wren Chambers told the BBC she initially “heard some screaming and shouting” coming from a carriage or two down.
“A minute or so later a man… was running down with a very clear wound, bleeding quite badly on his arm. And I thought it was like some sort of Halloween prank at first. But then he’s shouting that someone’s got a knife, he was stabbed,” she said.
After seeing more people running down the train, Chambers grabbed her bag and coat. “I got up and moved forward down the train after them, trying to get far down the train as they can.”
Another witness who was traveling on the train said he saw an “extremely bloodied” victim. The man, who gave his name as Gavin, told Sky News he believed he saw a suspect tasered before he was arrested.
Britain’s King Charles offered his “deepest sympathies” to those affected by the attack, in a statement on Sunday. He said he was “truly appalled and shocked to hear of the dreadful knife attack” in Huntingdon, offering “deepest sympathy and thoughts” with those affected.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer added 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. It connects major cities, running from London King’s Cross to Edinburgh Waverly in Scotland.
