Two people have been arrested after a number of people were stabbed on a train to Huntingdon, near Cambridge, police have said.
Cambridgeshire constabulary said armed police attended after officers were called to the scene at Huntingdon station at 7.39pm on Saturday.
The East of England ambulance service has deployed a “large-scale response” to the incident. A spokesperson said numerous ambulances, tactical commanders and its hazardous area response team were at the scene, adding: “We can confirm we have transported multiple patients to hospital.”
One witness who was on the train recalled seeing someone move through the carriage warning others: “They’ve got a knife, I’ve been stabbed.”
The witness told Sky News the man was “extremely bloodied” and that by the time the train stopped “they were basically on the floor”.
“That person ended up collapsing on the floor. They were taken to an ambulance pretty much straight away,” he said.
Witnesses say people wounded by the attack were seen sprinting through the train away from somebody with a knife.
Later on, armed police were seen directing their weapons at a man standing on a platform with a large blade, a witness said. The man was then incapacitated with a taser and restrained.
One witness said they saw between six and eight people who were wounded, while another said up to 12 may have been injured.
Police said the attack happened on the 6.25pm train service from Doncaster to London King’s Cross, shortly after the LNER train left Peterborough station.
The scene at Huntingdon station on Saturday evening. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images
Keir Starmer said the incident was “deeply concerning” and urged people to follow police advice.
In a statement on X, the prime minister said: “The appalling incident on a train near Huntingdon is deeply concerning. “My thoughts are with all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services for their response. Anyone in the area should follow the advice of the police.”
The MP for Huntingdon, Ben Obese-Jecty, said: “Very reassuring to see such a quick and effective response from the emergency services.
“I’ve simply never seen as big a response to an emergency incident as there were in terms of police, fire and ambulance.”
British Transport Police said on X: “We are currently responding to an incident on a train to Huntingdon where multiple people have been stabbed. Officers are in attendance alongside CambsCops, and two people have been arrested.”
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In a statement on Facebook, Cambridgeshire constabulary said: “We were called at 7.39 pm with reports that multiple people had been stabbed on a train. Armed officers attended, and the train was stopped at Huntingdon, where two men were arrested.
“A number of people have been taken to hospital. The incident remains ongoing, and the A1307 has been closed as you approach the town centre.”
The train was stopped at Huntingdon where armed officers were deployed. Photograph: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images
The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said she was “deeply saddened” to hear of the stabbings and added: “I urge people to avoid comment and speculation at this early stage.”
London North Eastern Railway (LNER), which operates east coast mainline services in the UK, confirmed the incident had happened on one of its trains and has urged passengers not to travel because of “major disruption”. Huntingdon station is closed, National Rail said, with all lines blocked.
LNER said: “We are experiencing major disruption across the LNER route. Emergency services are dealing with an incident at Huntingdon station; all lines are blocked. Our advice is ‘Do Not Travel’. Please defer your travel where you can.”
The shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, said that it “seems to be a brutal mass attack”. He added: “My thoughts are with all those injured or affected and the emergency services responding. The police and government should provide an update on what happened and who has been arrested as soon as possible.”
Cambridgeshire constabulary urged anyone with information about the incident to report it online, quoting incident 495 of 1 November, or by calling 101.
