🔗 Share this article

A valiant train staff member who intervened to save passengers during a mass knife attack on a express train has sustained critical injuries, authorities confirmed on Sunday.

Details of the Terrifying Event

Surveillance footage allegedly shows the staff member trying to stop the assailant as the train journeyed between a city and another station in Cambridgeshire. Witnesses recounted a frightening 14-minute period after the train left Peterborough, with injured victims fleeing through carriages.

The individual, a 32-year-old British national from Peterborough, remains in custody for interrogation. Authorities declared a major event on the 6:25 pm service from Peterborough to King's Cross in central London.

Crisis Response and Consequences

The incident on Saturday night resulted in 11 people being cared for in medical facilities after the train made an unscheduled stop at the station in Huntingdon. Several individuals have now been released from medical care.

A bystander filmed the individual waving a large knife and being shot with a stun device as he faced officers on the platform. He was allegedly heard yelling, "End my life, end my life."

“This was a horrific attack that has had a wide impact. My thoughts and those of everyone in British Transport Police are with those injured and their families – particularly the brave employee of train personnel whose relatives are being assisted by specialist personnel,” said a senior police official.

Labor Response and Calls for Action

Train associations were swift to commend staff and call for increased measures. A union official said he would be “requesting urgent meetings with authorities, train companies and police to ensure that we have the best available support, tools and robust protocols in place”.

A different association representative urged the train operator and government “to act swiftly to examine safety, to help the affected employees, and to make sure nothing like this happens again”.

Operator Commended for Rapid Thinking

The train driver who stopped the train at Huntingdon was described as being “deeply affected” but “good”, and has been commended by union representatives for doing “precisely what was needed”.

“He didn’t halt the service in the center of two stops where it’s obviously difficult for the emergency services to access, but he carried on going until he arrived to Huntingdon, where the assistance was almost already there,” stated a association official.

Additional Details

Authorities said they got the initial distress reports at 7:39 pm, and the service was compelled to make an unplanned stop in Huntingdon at 7:50 pm.

One observer recounted at first wondering if the situation was a Halloween prank, but soon realized from individuals' faces that it was serious.

Authorities have stated there is no evidence to suggest the incident was a terrorist incident and have requested the community to provide with any additional details.

Train operations on the affected route are expected to have delays until Monday, with travelers advised to postpone their travel where feasible.

Individuals with information that could help the investigation are encouraged to contact police by sending a message a designated number with a case code.