What to know about a stabbing attack aboard a train in Britain

LONDON (AP) — A routine railway journey was plunged into chaos when multiple people were stabbed aboard a train speeding through eastern England.

Police on Monday charged a 32-year-old man with attempted murder over the attack on Saturday evening, which left almost a dozen people injured. Another man who was arrested initially was released.

Police are still working to uncover a motive, but say it doesn’t appear to be an act of terrorism.

Here’s what to know:

The train was heading for London

The train left Doncaster in northern England at 6:25 p.m., bound for London’s King’s Cross station. It was about halfway into its 2-hour journey and had just departed from a stop at Peterborough when police began receiving calls about people being stabbed onboard.

Passengers described panicked travelers, some covered in blood, rushing down the aisle of the train to get away from the carriage where the violence was unfolding.

Olly Foster said he heard someone yelling, “Run, run, there is a guy stabbing literally everyone,” and at first thought it was a Halloween prank — until he noticed blood on his hand from touching seats in the train carriage.

“Everyone was really pushing behind us, really panicking,” Foster told the BBC. He said he saw several people bleeding heavily from wounds.

Police responded within minutes

The British Transport Police, which handles security on the railways, said it received the first emergency calls at 7:42 p.m.

Within minutes, several dozen police officers, including specialist firearms officers, and paramedics were at the train station in Huntingdon, a town about 75 miles (120 kilometers) north of London.

Soon after, the train made an unscheduled stop at the station and passengers streamed onto the platform as armed police officers ran toward the train.

Police investigating several other knife-related incidents

British Transport Police said that within eight minutes of the first emergency calls, officers from Cambridgeshire Constabulary had boarded the train and detained two men.

Witnesses said officers used a Taser to subdue one suspect who was holding a large knife.

Police later released one of the detained men, a 35-year-old British citizen, without charge, saying detectives had established that he was not involved in the attack.

The other man, 32-year-old Anthony Williams, was charged with 10 counts of attempted murder, one of actual bodily harm and one of possession of a bladed article.

Williams, a British citizen from the city of Peterborough, was also charged with attempted murder over a separate incident at Pontoon Dock light rail station in London earlier Saturday. He was remanded in custody after a brief court appearance Monday.

Investigators say they are looking at three other knife-related incidents in Peterborough on Friday and Saturday that may be linked to the train attack, including the stabbing of a 14-year-old in the city center on Friday night. The teen suffered minor injuries.

Police say they are not looking for anyone else.

One victim still in critical condition

Police said 10 people were taken to nearby hospitals and an 11th went to a hospital on their own.

One train staff member who tried to stop the attack was in a critical but stable condition. Police called his actions “nothing short of heroic.” Four other people remained in the hospital.

Police seek a motive but say it’s not terror

Police Supt. John Loveless said counterterror police were initially called in to support the investigation, but that “at this stage, there is nothing to suggest that this is a terrorist incident.”

He said the investigation is being led by British Transport Police, and “it would not be appropriate to speculate on the cause of this incident.”

Leaders express sympathy

Senior politicians and royalty expressed concern and sympathy for the victims and their friends and families.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood paid tribute “to the exceptional bravery of staff and passengers on the train.”

King Charles III said he and Queen Camilla were “appalled and shocked.”

“Our deepest sympathy and thoughts are with all those affected, and their loved ones,” the royal couple said in a statement. “We are particularly grateful to the emergency services for their response to this awful incident.”