Brave Train Employee Suffers Severe Injuries Amid Multiple Knife Attack on High-Speed Service
A courageous train staff member who intervened to protect travelers during a mass stabbing incident on a express train has sustained life-threatening wounds, police stated on Sunday.
Details of the Terrifying Event
Surveillance footage reportedly depicts the employee attempting to halt the assailant as the train journeyed between Peterborough and another station in Cambridgeshire. Bystanders recounted a terrifying 14-minute period after the train left Peterborough, with injured victims running through compartments.
The individual, a 32-year-old British national from Peterborough, is in detention for questioning. Authorities declared a significant event on the 6:25 pm service from Peterborough to King's Cross in downtown London.
Emergency Reaction and Aftermath
The event on Saturday night resulted in 11 people being cared for in hospital after the train made an unplanned stop at the station in Huntingdon. Five individuals have now been released from hospital.
A bystander filmed the individual brandishing a large knife and being subdued with a Taser as he confronted officers on the station. He was allegedly heard shouting, "Kill me, kill me."
“This was a horrific attack that has had a wide impact. We are thinking of the victims and their families – particularly the courageous member of rail staff whose relatives are being supported by trained officers,” stated a senior law enforcement officer.
Union Reaction and Calls for Action
Rail associations were quick to commend staff and call for more action. One labor official said he would be “requesting urgent meetings with government, train companies and law enforcement to guarantee that we have the best possible assistance, tools and effective protocols in operation”.
Another union representative urged the rail company and government “to act quickly to examine security, to support the affected employees, and to make sure that no incident like this happens again”.
Driver Praised for Quick Action
The operator who stopped the service at Huntingdon was described as being “very shaken” but “well”, and has been praised by association officials for doing “exactly the right thing”.
“He didn’t halt the service in the middle of two stops where it’s clearly challenging for the first responders to reach, but he continued going until he arrived to Huntingdon, where the response was almost already there,” explained a union official.
Additional Information
Authorities stated they got the initial emergency calls at 7:39 pm, and the train was forced to make an unplanned stop in Huntingdon at 7:50 pm.
One witness recounted at first thinking if the situation was a holiday prank, but quickly realized from people's faces that it was serious.
Police have stated there is nothing to suggest the event was a terror-related attack and have requested the community to come forward with any additional details.
Rail services on the impacted route are anticipated to experience disruption until the following day, with passengers advised to defer their travel where feasible.
Individuals with details that could help the inquiry are asked to reach authorities by sending a message a designated number with a case code.