A brave railway staff member who stepped in to save passengers during a multiple knife incident on a high-speed train has suffered life-threatening injuries, police confirmed on Sunday.
CCTV video allegedly shows the employee trying to stop the attacker as the train traveled between a city and another station in the county. Bystanders described a frightening 14-minute duration after the train departed Peterborough, with bloodied passengers running through compartments.
The suspect, a 32-year-old citizen from Peterborough, is in custody for questioning. Authorities announced a major event on the 6:25 pm service from Peterborough to King's Cross in downtown London.
The incident on Saturday night resulted in 11 people being cared for in medical facilities after the train made an unscheduled stop at platform 2 in Huntingdon. Several individuals have since been discharged from hospital.
A bystander recorded the individual brandishing a large knife and being shot with a stun device as he faced police on the station. He was reportedly heard yelling, "End my life, end my life."
“This terrible incident has affected many people. We are thinking of the victims and their families – especially the brave employee of train personnel whose relatives are being assisted by trained personnel,” stated a senior law enforcement official.
Train unions were swift to commend staff and call for increased measures. One labor leader said he would be “seeking urgent meetings with government, rail employers and police to ensure that we have the strongest available assistance, tools and effective protocols in place”.
Another association leader urged the train operator and authorities “to act quickly to review safety, to help the affected workers, and to ensure that no incident like this happens again”.
The train driver who stopped the service at Huntingdon was described as being “very shaken” but “good”, and has been commended by association officials for doing “exactly the right thing”.
“The driver did not stop the service in the middle of two stops where it’s clearly difficult for the first responders to reach, but he carried on traveling until he got to Huntingdon, where the response was pretty much waiting,” stated a association representative.
Authorities said they got the first distress reports at 7:39 pm, and the train was forced to make an unplanned stop in Huntingdon at 7:50 pm.
An observer recounted initially wondering if the event was a Halloween prank, but quickly understood from people's expressions that it was real.
Police have confirmed there is nothing to indicate the event was a terror-related attack and have requested the community to come forward with any additional details.
Train operations on the impacted route are anticipated to experience disruption until Monday, with travelers advised to defer their journeys where feasible.
Individuals with details that could help the investigation are encouraged to contact authorities by texting a designated number with a case code.
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Brian Hernandez
Brian Hernandez
Brian Hernandez