Two British nationals arrested on suspicion of murder in train stabbing incident, UK police explains

Police say there is no reason to believe the stabbing incident on a London-bound train on Saturday evening was a terrorist attack.

Two suspects were taken into custody after the incident which occurred late on Saturday. The attack hospitalised 11 people who sustained injuries, nine of whom were in critical condition.

Initially, police reported the hospitalisation of 10 people, a figure which was updated in a briefing to the press on Sunday. Police also say only two victims currently remain in critical condition, noting that seven others have reached a stable condition, and four of them already discharged from hospital.

"At approximately 7:42 pm yesterday evening, there were calls to the police service, in relation to multiple stabbings, which took place on board a train service that departed Doncaster at 6:25 pm and was en route to London King's Cross station," said Superintendent John Loveless of the British Transport Police.

"Officers immediately attended Huntingdon station alongside paramedics, where armed police officers from Cambridgeshire police, boarded the train, and arrested two people. Within eight minutes of the 999 call being made, two men were brought into police custody, where they remain this morning."

The suspects were identified as two males, British nationals born in the UK, who were arrested in Huntingdon station, where the train made an emergency stop and where armed police immediately intervened.

"These are, the first male, a 32-year-old male of Black British national, and a 35-year-old man, a British national, of Caribbean descent. They were both arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Both were born in the United Kingdom," added Loveless.

The attack was first suspected as a potential terrorist attack. British Counter Terrorism Policing units were involved in initial investigations. Police now however say that further investigations have ruled out terrorism as a motive behind the incident.

"British Transport Police declared a major incident yesterday, and Counter Terrorism Policing were initially supporting our investigation. However, at this stage, there is nothing to suggest that this is a terrorist incident," said Loveless.

The attack took place as the train from Doncaster in northern England to London’s King’s Cross station was about halfway through its 2-hour journey and approaching Huntingdon, a market town a few kilometres northwest of Cambridge.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his “thoughts are with all those affected” after what he slammed as an “appalling incident.”