British police say at least 10 people wounded in stabbing attack on train near Cambridge

British police said 10 people have been hospitalized, nine with life-threatening injuries, following a mass stabbing attack Saturday on a London-bound train, and that counter-terrorism police are supporting the investigation.

In a statement early Sunday, hours after the attack, British Transport Police also said the stabbings had been declared a “major incident.”

“Ten people have been taken to hospital with nine believed to have suffered life-threatening injuries,” the statement said. “This has been declared a major incident and Counter Terrorism Policing are supporting our investigation whilst we work to establish the full circumstances and motivation for this incident.”

Emergency services, including armed police and air ambulances, were quick to arrive on the scene shortly soon 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.

The East of England Ambulance Service wrote on X that it could “confirm we have transported multiple patients to hospital.”

British Transport Police, which took the lead on the response given it is responsible for security matters on the trains, 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.    

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. 

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.