Cambridgeshire train stabbing: police say attack suspects are both British – latest updates

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Two people remain in a life-threatening condition in hospital, police say

The police said that while nine people were initially believed to have life-threatening injuries, following assessment and treatment four have been discharged but two people remain in a “life threatening condition”.

Both suspects born in the UK and have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, police say

Supt John Loveless said the two suspects were both British nationals and remain in police custody. Both suspects were born in the UK and have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

• a 32-year-old male who is a “Black British national”.

• A 35-year-old man who is a British national of “Caribbean descent”.

Police press conference into the train stabbing attack has started

The British Transport Police, who are leading the investigations, are giving an update to journalists on the stabbing attack.

The BTP press conference scheduled to take place outside Huntingdon station in Cambridgeshire has been delayed. It is now expected to take place closer to 10.30 GMT.

Ben Obese-Jecty, the Conservative MP for Huntingdon, said it is “vital” that information about the suspects is released to “stop any misinformation and speculation from being spread”.

He told the PA news agency:

All I know is that two people have been arrested and were arrested at the scene. That’s as much information that has been pushed out at the moment.

I would hope that British Transport Police are going to release some more information about the suspects when they do their press conference later on this morning.

I think it’s vital that some information comes out to stop any misinformation and speculation from being spread.

I saw this last night when I put out a tweet saying that I was aware of the incident, I was trying to find out more information.

Hundreds of comments came back speculating as to the nature of the attack, the motive, background of the attacker.

Police to give update about Cambridgeshire train stabbing shortly

The British Transport Police is expected to hold a news conference at 10:00 GMT. Stick with us as we bring you the latest updates. We are expecting to hear an update from one of the force’s senior officers.

You can follow the BTP press conference live here:

We are in a new era of threat, defence secretary warns

Asked by Trevor Phillips on Sky News if the attack has changed the (UK’s) security alert status at all, the defence secretary, John Healey, said the threat remains “substantial”.

“It reflects a period of really increasing pressure on our country and uncertainty more widely in the world, a new era of threat if you like,” he said.

There are 5 levels of terrorism threat:

• Low – an attack is highly unlikely

• Moderate – an attack is possible but not likely

• Substantial – an attack is likely

• Severe – an attack is highly likely

• Critical – an attack is highly likely in the near future

The level is set by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre and the MI5.

Healey went on to repeat that “we are in a new era of threat”, citing examples of cyber-attacks and the “menacing of our critical infrastructure that is under the seas”.

Huntingdon railway station remains taped off by police on Sunday morning after a mass stabbing on a train.

The train is still on the platform and a number of officers are positioned around the station, according to reporting by the PA news agency.

The road directly outside the station’s car park, the A1307, is shut and a number of police vehicles are on the road.

Forensic police officers attend the scene at Huntingdon Station after the stabbing attack on a train on 02 November 2025 in Huntingdon. Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty Images

Stabbing attack is considered to be an isolated incident, defence secretary says

The defence secretary, John Healey, said the facts from last night’s attack were still “emerging” and urged people to avoid speculation.

In an interview with Sky News’ Trevor Phillips this morning, he said:

This is close to home. This was the very service that my wife and I Jackie took just a few hours before this attack. It is the service I use every week to get home to Rotherham.

So I can’t begin to imagine how shocked and frightened those passengers were and a huge tribute to those passengers and the emergency services for their response because it could have been so much worse.

Healey said the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, will update the public as soon as further facts emerge. He said the police will also give updates at some point.

Q: The fact that there are two arrests, rather than a lone person, the fact that this resembles some other things that have happened in the past and the fact that the counter-terrorism police are involved suggests at least that still the possibility that this is a terrorist attack is still open. Is that right?

A: Those are all suppositions. The only assessment is that this was an isolated incident, an isolated attack. So there is no reason for the rest of us not to get on with our lives, get on and travel to the places we need to get to. But those sort of conclusions, those firmer assessments and that information will be provided to the public as soon as we’ve got them.

Mayor of London describes Cambridgeshire train stabbing as 'deeply concerning'

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has described the “horrific” attack as “deeply concerning” and said he is in “close contact” with the Metropolitan police to ensure all “necessary support is provided”.

In a post to X this morning, he wrote:

The horrific incident on the train in Huntingdon is deeply concerning. My thoughts are with those injured and affected. I am grateful to our emergency services for their swift response.

I am in close contact with the Met and transport authorities to ensure all necessary support is provided. Anyone planning to travel on LNER services today should check before they travel.

A police officer walks on the platform after a stabbing attack on board a Doncaster-London King’s Cross train on Saturday. Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty Images

The stabbing attack has caused widespread shock across the UK.

A spokesperson for the Rail, Maritime and Transport union said: “We are horrified by the mass stabbing attack on an LNER train last night.

“Our thoughts remain with the train crew and passengers who were either at work or going about their business on a busy Saturday night during this awful incident.

“It is important we allow the emergency services and authorities to establish the full facts before commenting further.”

At first he thought it was a sick Halloween joke.

Commuter Olly Foster had been listening to an audio book on the train as it sped through Cambridgeshire when a man ran past him, yelling “Run, run, there is a guy stabbing literally everyone, everything.”

But the horror on the man’s face told him it wasn’t a prank at all, Foster told the BBC, as he recounted the harrowing attack.

“You could kind of see in their faces they were being serious,” he said.

Foster grabbed his belongings as he and other passengers attempted to escape.

“Everyone was really pushing behind us, really panicking,” he said.

He described touching a chair that was covered in blood, and a brave man who was injured in neck as he tried to protect a young girl.

Unclear of what was coming next, Foster said he and another passenger were preparing for what would happen if an attacker emerged.

“We had a Jack Daniels bottle between us and that was it,” he said, “We were kind of sitting there with one Jack Daniels bottle just looking down the end of this carriage just praying someone doesn’t walk down with a knife, with a gun.”

It’s almost 7.30am in England, and we would expect an update from the British Transport Police this morning.

Here is their full statement from last night:

We can confirm that at 7.42pm today (1 November) British Transport Police were called to reports of a multiple stabbing on board the 6.25pm train service from Doncaster to London King’s Cross.
Officers immediately attended Huntingdon station alongside paramedics.
Armed police from Cambridgeshire Police boarded the train and arrested two people in connection to the incident who have been taken to police custody.
Ten people have been taken to hospital with nine believed to have suffered life-threatening injuries. One is being treated for non life-threatening injuries. There have been no fatalities.
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.
Chief Superintendent Chris Casey said: “This is a shocking incident and first and foremost my thoughts are with those who have been injured this evening and their families.
“We’re conducting urgent enquiries to establish what has happened, and it could take some time before we are in a position to confirm anything further. At this early stage it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident.
“Our response is ongoing at the station and will be for some time. Cordons are in place and trains are not currently running through the area, and there are also some road closures.
“I thank the public for their patience and their cooperation this evening which has already greatly assisted our policing response. We will update you again as soon as we have more information.”
Anyone with information who hasn’t already spoken to police is asked to contact BTP by texting 61016 quoting reference 663 of 01/11/25.