Mass stabbing on train from Doncaster that life nine fighting for life was 'isolated incident'

A mass stabbing on a train from Doncaster to London King’s Cross that left nine people with life-threatening injuries was an "isolated attack", the Defence Secretary has said.

A man with a large knife is believed to have been shot with a Taser by police after going on a bloody rampage on a high-speed train after it left Peterborough station in Cambridgeshire on Saturday evening.

A forensic investigator on the platform by the train at Huntingdon train station in Cambridgeshire, after a number of people were stabbed on the train on Saturday. Two people have been arrested after British Transport Police were called to the incident. Picture date: Sunday November 2, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Joe Giddens/PA Wireplaceholder image
A forensic investigator on the platform by the train at Huntingdon train station in Cambridgeshire, after a number of people were stabbed on the train on Saturday. Two people have been arrested after British Transport Police were called to the incident. Picture date: Sunday November 2, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Joe Giddens/PA Wire | Joe Giddens/PA Wire

British Transport Police (BTP) declared a major incident and said two people were arrested after the train was stopped at Huntingdon station.

Defence Secretary John Healey said further information on whether it was terror-related will be provided as soon as the Government has it.

There have been no fatalities so far from the stabbings on the 6.25pm train service from Doncaster to London King's Cross.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer describing the incident as "deeply concerning".

Forensic investigators at Huntingdon train station in Cambridgeshire, after a number of people were stabbed on a train on Saturday. Two people have been arrested after British Transport Police were called to the incident on a train. Picture date: Sunday November 2, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Joe Giddens/PA Wireplaceholder image
Forensic investigators at Huntingdon train station in Cambridgeshire, after a number of people were stabbed on a train on Saturday. Two people have been arrested after British Transport Police were called to the incident on a train. Picture date: Sunday November 2, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Joe Giddens/PA Wire | Joe Giddens/PA Wire

A 10th person suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Speaking on Sky News on Sunday morning, John Healey said "there's no reason for the rest of us not to get on with our lives" as he described the incident as "isolated".

Addressing whether or not the incident was terror-related, he told the broadcaster: "The early assessment is that this was an isolated incident, an isolated attack.

"So there's no reason for the rest of us not to get on with our lives, get on and travel to the places we need to get to.

"But those sorts of conclusions, those further assessments and that information will be provided to the public as soon as we've got them."

Counter-terrorism police are assisting with the investigation.

Police and other emergency responders attend to Huntingdon Station on November 2, 2025 in Huntingdon, England after a stabbing attack on a train. Yesterday evening, multiple people were injured in a knife attack on the 18:25 LNER service from Doncaster to London King's Cross, forcing the train to make an emergency stop in Huntingdon.  (Photo by David Tramontan/Getty Images)placeholder image
Police and other emergency responders attend to Huntingdon Station on November 2, 2025 in Huntingdon, England after a stabbing attack on a train. Yesterday evening, multiple people were injured in a knife attack on the 18:25 LNER service from Doncaster to London King's Cross, forcing the train to make an emergency stop in Huntingdon. (Photo by David Tramontan/Getty Images)

Mr Healey added that the British public should be "more vigilant", but said people are "not going to be deflected from carrying out our everyday lives".

Huntingdon railway station remained taped off by police on Sunday morning (November 2) - with the train still visible on the platform.

A number of officers were positioned around the station and the road directly outside the station's car park, the A1307, was shut with a number of police vehicles are on the road.

The Times newspaper said witnesses had spoken of seeing a man with a large knife and passengers hiding in the toilets to escape the rampage.

One man, who gave his name as Gavin, told Sky News he believed he saw the suspect tasered before he was arrested.

Forensic investigators at Huntingdon train station in Cambridgeshire on Saturday night, after a number of people were stabbed on a train.placeholder image
Forensic investigators at Huntingdon train station in Cambridgeshire on Saturday night, after a number of people were stabbed on a train. | Jamie Lashmar/PA Wire

Olly Foster , who also witnessed the incident, told the BBC an older man "blocked" the attacker from stabbing a younger girl, leaving him with injuries to his head and neck.

Mr Foster told the broadcaster other passengers used their clothing to try and stem the bleeding.

Video footage on social media showed scores of blue-light police cars and emergency vehicles in a station car park before the suspect was arrested, and a team of armed police running towards the stationary train at Huntingdon station.

The attack is understood to have started shortly after the London North Eastern Railway (LNER) train left Peterborough station.

LNER, which operates East Coast Mainline services in the UK, said disruption to its services between London Kings Cross and Lincoln, Doncaster, Leeds, Bradford Forster Square and Harrogate was expected to last until Monday, with passengers advised to defer their travel where possible.

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