A man is to appear in court charged with attempted murder after a mass stabbing on a high-speed train in Cambridgeshire, in which 10 people were injured, and another incident on London’s public transport network that left another person hurt.
Anthony Williams, 32, from Peterborough, has been charged with 11 counts of attempted murder, one count of actual bodily harm and one count of possession of a bladed article in relation to the two incidents, the Crown Prosecution Service said.
“Our team of out-of-hours prosecutors worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to trial and it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings,” said Tracy Easton, the chief crown prosecutor for CPS Direct.
“We worked closely with British Transport Police to review a huge volume of evidence including CCTV. The number of charges will be kept under review as this continues to progress. We know the devastating impact the events on Saturday’s train has had and how the incident shocked the entire country. Our thoughts remain with all those affected.”
Williams is due to appear at Peterborough magistrates court on Monday, accused of 10 of the counts of attempted murder in relation to the attacks on the LNER train, British Transport Police (BTP) said. The 11th count is in relation to the other incident on a train at Pontoon Dock DLR station in east London in the early hours of the same day – in which a victim suffered facial injuries after being attacked with a knife.
An LNER staff member is in a critical but stable condition in hospital after the stabbings on the Doncaster to London service. Four other people also remain in hospital.
BTP said on Sunday morning that two men had been arrested. But, by Sunday night, a 35-year-old man from London had been released with no further action. Police said he was not involved in the attack.
It followed a major incident on Saturday evening on the 6.25pm service from Doncaster to London King’s Cross, which resulted in the train being diverted for an emergency stop at Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire about an hour into the journey.
BTP said that within eight minutes of officers being called the two men had been arrested on the train, one believed to have been shot by police with a stun gun after brandishing a knife.
Police have said there is nothing to suggest the incident was terrorism and have asked the public to come forward with information.
Eleven people were treated in hospital, with four of them later discharged. Two patients remained in a life-threatening condition, police told a press conference on Sunday morning.
Supt John Loveless told reporters at the scene in Huntingdon on Sunday: “At approximately 7.42pm yesterday evening, there were calls to the police service in relation to multiple stabbings which took place onboard a train service.
“Officers immediately attended Huntington station alongside paramedics, where armed police officers from Cambridgeshire police boarded the train and arrested two people within eight minutes of the 999 call being made.”
The incident prompted a surge in police officers being deployed across the rail network until at least the end of Monday, with disruption to trains between King’s Cross and Peterborough, and the closure of Huntingdon station also expected to last until at least then.
King Charles, in a message released by Buckingham Palace, said: “My wife and I were truly appalled and shocked to hear of the dreadful knife attack that took place onboard a train in Cambridgeshire last night.
“Our deepest sympathy and thoughts are with all those affected, and their loved ones. We are particularly grateful to the emergency services for their response to this awful incident.”
The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, paid tribute to the bravery of staff and passengers on the train and confirmed the attack was not being treated as terrorism.
She wrote on social media: “After last night’s horrific attack, my thoughts today are with the victims, their friends and family.
“My deepest thanks go to the British Transport Police, Cambridgeshire police, Cambridgeshire fire and rescue service and the East of England ambulance service. They responded rapidly, with the utmost professionalism and saved lives.
“I would also like to pay tribute to the exceptional bravery of staff and passengers on the train.”
