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The British government is telling citizens to keep calm and carry on after a terrifying mass stabbing on a train, which left 11 people wounded — two of whom are still fighting for their lives.
“There’s no reason for the rest of us not to get on with our lives,” Defense Secretary John Healey said, describing the incident near Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, as “isolated” in an interview with Sky News Sunday morning.
Police claimed Sunday that “there is nothing to suggest” that the attack was terrorism — despite the scale and horror of the carnage, which saw the train in rural England awash with blood and passengers arming themselves with Jack Daniels bottles.
Two British citizens, age 32 and 35, have been arrested for attempted murder following the stabbing shortly after 7:30 p.m. on board a London North Eastern Railway (LNER) train traveling from Doncaster in South Yorkshire to London’s King’s Cross Station, British Transport Police Superintendent John Loveless said Sunday morning.
It is unclear where they boarded the train, and no further details have been given about their origins or motivations by police.
“Ten people were taken to the hospital by ambulance and another person self-presented at the hospital later that evening. While nine were initially believed to have life-threatening injuries, following assessment and treatment, four have been discharged and two patients remain in a life-threatening condition,” Supt. Loveless said.
“We declared a major incident yesterday and Counter Terrorism Policing were initially supporting our investigation however, at this stage there is nothing to suggest this is a terrorist incident,” he added.
The mayor of Huntingdon, a market town of just 25,000 people around 60 miles north of London, spoke of her disbelief at the shocking attack.
“It’s something I never thought would ever happen around Huntingdon,” mayor Audrey McAdam told Sky News through tears.
She described how police told her the attack reportedly happened in the 12 minutes between the train leaving Peterborough station and before it was stopped at Huntingdon.
“To live in that moment… It’s a horror film, complete horror,” she said.
Huntingdon station remained taped off by cops on Sunday morning, with the train where the stabbing took place still visible on the platform.
A beefed-up police presence is expected on trains Sunday to reassure the public, Supt. Loveless added.
Amid the horror, individual stories of bravery have emerged.
Eyewitnesses described how an older man blocked one of the attackers from stabbing a younger girl, suffering wounds to his head and neck, while others prepared to fight back using a Jack Daniels bottle.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the “appalling” attack as “deeply concerning,” in a statement on X.
“My thoughts are with all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services for their response,” the Labour politician added.
King Charles said he is “truly appalled and shocked to hear of the dreadful knife attack” in a statement.
“Our deepest sympathy and thoughts are with those affected, and their loved ones,” he said, speaking on behalf of his wife, Queen Camilla.
