British police said on Sunday that a knife attack on a train that led to 11 people being taken to hospital with injuries was not being treated as a terrorist incident. They added that two men, both British nationals, had been arrested.
Counter-terrorism police have been assisting with initial inquiries following the mass stabbing of passengers on a train in East Anglia on Saturday night.
According to a police statement, the two suspects were identified as a 32-year-old black British national and a 35-year-old British national of Caribbean origin. Both were confirmed to have been born in the UK.
The arrests were made by armed police after the train stopped for an emergency stop at Huntingdon, around 80 miles (130 km) north of London.
Of the eleven people hospitalized, four have since been released, although police have confirmed that two patients remain in life-threatening conditions.
“At this stage there is no indication that this is a terrorist incident,” Superintendent John Loveless of the British Transport Police told media on Sunday.
“Appalling Incident”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the incident as an “appalling incident” that was “deeply disturbing”, while King Charles said he was “truly appalled and shocked”.
Figures from the UK’s Home Office show that knife crime in England and Wales has risen by 87% over the past decade, with 54,587 crimes recorded last year alone – up 2% on 2023 and among the highest in Europe.
In a statement, British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she was “deeply saddened” and urged the public to refrain from speculating about the incident.
The government is trying to curb the spread of rumors on social media after a separate incident in Southport, north-west England, in 2024, where unsubstantiated internet claims relating to the murder of three young girls sparked days of unrest across the country.
Witness Olly Foster told the BBC he was on a train heading to London on Saturday night when someone ran past him and claimed the man was stabbing “everyone, everything”.
Another witness told Sky News the suspect was seen wielding a large knife before being Tasered by police.
The UK’s current threat level from terrorism is rated “substantial” by security services, meaning an attack is considered “likely”. After a series of serious attacks in 2017, the UK has seen somewhat quieter years in the 1920s, although three people were killed in an attack on a synagogue in Manchester last month.
