Within fourteen minutes of the train leaving Peterborough and within five minutes of the first call to emergency services, the train made an unscheduled stop at Huntingdon railway station. It was met at 19:44 by armed police who arrested two men, one of whom was released the following day without charge. Ten people were taken to hospital, nine of whom were believed to have life-threatening injuries.
The next day, the police ruled out a terrorist motive, and said that the attacker had acted alone. He was charged with eleven counts of attempted murder, one of which related to an incident at a London station the same morning.
Incident
The train involved, unit 800111, at Grantham in 2019The platform at Huntingdon railway station at which the train stopped, photographed in 2015
The attacker boarded the train at Peterborough railway station,[1] and the stabbings began shortly after the train left the station at 19:30 GMT.[2][3] At 19:39, Cambridgeshire Constabulary, whose headquarters are close to Huntingdon railway station, received the first 999 call from a passenger on board the train, with the British Transport Police being alerted at 19:42.[4][5] The police declared the situation to be a major incident, using the code word "Operation Plato", which is designed for use in "marauding terror attacks". This was rescinded when it became clear that the incident was not terror-related.[6] As the attack was ongoing, the driver communicated with his control room and Network Rail signallers who diverted the train to the slow line, enabling it to stop at the next available station.[7] The train made an unscheduled stop at Huntingdon railway station at 19:44.[4][8] The police estimate that the entire incident lasted 10–15 minutes between the beginning of the stabbings and officers accessing the train at Huntingdon.[4]
According to eyewitnesses, the attacker was armed with a knife and indiscriminately assaulted passengers on board, causing panic and injuries; several witnesses reported seeing people fleeing through the aisle covered in blood, and one victim collapsing. Eyewitnesses said that the attack began in coach J, the fourth carriage from the front of the nine-car train, and that an emergency alarm in that carriage was pulled. According to one witness, the attacker said that the "devil is not going to win".[9] Multiple passengers locked themselves into the buffet car (two coaches further back), which the assailant tried but failed to enter.[10] An LNER staff member, Samir Zitouni, was reported to have protected a young girl on board the train by putting himself between her and the assailant. He was hailed as a "hero" and taken to hospital with wounds to his head and neck.[11]
Ten people were taken to Addenbrooke's Hospital, a major trauma centre in Cambridge, for treatment,[12] and another person later self-presented with injuries.[13] Nine of the injured were believed to have had life-threatening injuries.[13][14] Five of the injured had been discharged by the evening of 2 November.[12] Two people were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder within eight minutes of the first 999 call being made.[13][15] Thirty officers from Cambridgeshire Constabulary attended the incident alongside officers from British Transport Police. Huntingdon station was closed to the public, all trains in the surrounding area were brought to a halt and armed officers were deployed to the scene.[13] A witness said a man holding a large knife was tased and restrained by police.[16][17] A witness told The Guardian that the man shouted "kill me" three times to officers prior to his arrest.[18][19]
Investigation
A diagram of the train involved
Police were initially joined by Counter Terrorism Policing in their investigation, although terrorism was soon dismissed as a motive for the attack.[20]British Transport Police were later announced as leading the investigation.[21] Police initially identified two men as suspects,[13][15] but on 2 November they announced that one had been released without charge.[22]
On 3 November, police announced that the attacker had been linked to an incident earlier on 1 November, in which someone was attacked at Pontoon Dock DLR station in London. The following day, police said he was also being linked to three incidents in Peterborough on 31 October and 1 November. In one incident a 14-year-old suffered minor injuries when he was stabbed in the city centre; in the other incidents a barber's shop reported a man with a knife.[23][24]
Suspect
The suspect was identified as 32-year-old British-born Anthony Williams.[25] Police stated that he is believed to have acted alone, with no links to terrorism or organised crime.[22] On 3 November, police announced that he had been charged with eleven counts of attempted murder, one count of actual bodily harm for an assault on a police officer while in custody,[4] and one count of possession of a bladed article.[26] One of the counts of attempted murder, plus an additional account of possession of a bladed article, relates to an incident at Pontoon Dock DLR station on the day of the attack.[27]
Reactions
Shortly after the attack, Home SecretaryShabana Mahmood urged people to avoid comment and speculation before facts were released by the police. She also said the police had increased their presence on the rail network.[28]Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the opposition, also asked people to wait until more facts emerge, but added that "we cannot be a country where people are innocently going about their business and facing this level of violent crime".[29] The Conservative MP for Huntingdon, Ben Obese-Jecty, urged the police to reveal more about the attackers, arguing that releasing their identities was important to stop misinformation and speculation from being spread.[30]
Shadow Home SecretaryChris Philp initially said the police and government should provide an update on what happened and who has been arrested as soon as possible.[20] He later added that the attack showed the UK's need for "a substantial increase in stop and search", and that the government "should also use live facial recognition a lot more in high streets and train stations to identify wanted or dangerous criminals as they pass by".[31][32][non-primary source needed]
Evangelos Marinakis, the owner of Nottingham Forest F.C., offered to fund medical care for any supporters affected by the attacks; many of the club's London-based fans were aboard the train returning from the home fixture against Manchester United.[33]
‡ indicates railway accidents and incidents resulting in at least 5 fatalities 1900–1999
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