British police rule out terrorism in train stabbing attack that injured 11

British police dismissed speculation on Sunday that a mass stabbing attack on a London-bound train that hospitalized 11 people the night before was terrorism-related.

Police said one person injured in the incident remains in life-threatening condition, among six people hospitalized in the wake of the stabbing. One man, born in the United Kingdom, was in custody Sunday after a second man arrested in connection with the attack was released without charges. Both were arrested eight minutes after the first emergency calls were made from aboard the train, where passengers had reported scenes of panic and chaos as many ran through the carriages and some sought safety in the bathrooms.

The 32-year-old British man still in custody was undergoing questioning by police on suspicion of attempted murder, police said. They also said that they determined the 35-year-old man previously arrested in connection with the stabbing was not involved in the crime. 

“It’s a shocking incident, and first and foremost, my thoughts are with the family and friends of those who’ been affected and those who are injured,” British Transport Police Superintendent John Loveless said in a news conference outside the station in Huntingdon in eastern England, where the train halted soon after the attack.

“There is nothing to suggest this is a terrorist incident,” he added.

The police superintendent also gave an update on those injured in the attack, reducing the number in life-threatening condition from nine to two. Four of the injured have been discharged from the hospital, he said. One other person had arrived at the hospital, taking the overall number injured in the attack to 11.

Emergency services, including armed police and air ambulances, were quick to arrive on the scene shortly after they were alerted after 7:30 p.m. local time Saturday as the train drew into Huntingdon, a market town a few miles northwest of the university city of Cambridge. The two people were arrested at the station, which is around 75 miles north of London.

Police said the stabbing attack occurred on the Doncaster to London King’s Cross train as it headed into Huntingdon. It did not provide a motive for the attack.    

During their immediate response to the stabbing, police said that “Plato,” the national code word used by police and emergency services when responding to what could be a “marauding terror attack,” had been initiated. But the declaration was later rescinded.

“At this early stage, it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident,” Loveless said.

The British newspaper The Times reported that a witness described seeing a man with a large knife. The witness told The Times there was “blood everywhere,” with people hiding in bathrooms to escape, and some getting “stamped (on) by others” as they tried to flee. 

Paul Bristow, the mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said in a post on X that he had heard of reports of “horrendous scenes” on the train. Cambridge is located in the county of Cambridgeshire.

Passenger Olly Foster told the CBS News partner BBC News that he heard people shouting “run, run, there’s a guy literally stabbing everyone,” and initially thought it might have been a Halloween prank — Saturday was a day after Halloween. But as passengers pushed past him to get away, he noticed his hand was covered in blood from a chair he had leaned on.

In a social media post, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the attack an “appalling incident” that was “deeply concerning,” and urged people in the area to “follow the advice of the police.”

“My thoughts are with all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services for their response,” he wrote.

Britain’s King Charles III sent his sympathies and thoughts to those affected and said he was “truly appalled and shocked to hear of the dreadful knife attack.” 

“Our deepest sympathy and thoughts are with all those affected, and their loved ones,” the king said. “We are particularly grateful to the emergency services for their response to this awful incident.”

London North Eastern Railway, or LNER, which operates the East Coast Mainline services in the U.K., confirmed the incident had happened on one of its trains and said there would be major disruption on the route until Monday.

“Passengers will see high visibility presence of police officers at stations and on trains throughout today, up and down the transport network,” Loveless said.

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