Multiple people were taken to hospital after a series of stabbings on a train near Cambridge in eastern England on Saturday, and two men have been arrested, in what Prime Minister Keir Starmer called an "appalling incident."
In a statement early Sunday, hours after the attack, British Transport Police also said the stabbings had been declared a “major incident.”
“Ten people have been taken to hospital with nine believed to have suffered life-threatening injuries,” the statement said. “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.”
British police and ambulance services said a number of people had been stabbed on the train, which stopped at Huntingdon, with armed officers seen entering the train in videos on social media.
Cambridgeshire police said they were called at 1939 GMT after reports that multiple people had been stabbed on a train.
"Armed officers attended and the train was stopped at Huntingdon, where two men were arrested. A number of people have been taken to hospital," the police said in a statement.
The East of England Ambulance Service said it mobilised a large-scale response to Huntingdon Railway Station, which included numerous ambulances and critical care teams, including three air ambulances.
"We can confirm we have transported multiple patients to hospital," it said.
One eyewitness told Sky News that one of the suspects, waving a large knife, was tasered by police.
Starmer posted on X that the incident was "deeply concerning."
"My thoughts are with all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services for their response," he said.
Paul Bristow, the mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said he had heard of “horrendous scenes” on the train.
London North Eastern Railway, which operates the East Coast Mainline services in the UK, confirmed the incident had happened on one of its trains and urged passengers not to travel because of “major disruption”.