Heroic Rail Staff Member Receives Severe Injuries Amid Mass Knife Incident on High-Speed Service
A valiant train staff member who intervened to protect travelers during a multiple knife attack on a express train has suffered critical injuries, police stated on Sunday.
Details of the Terrifying Incident
CCTV video allegedly depicts the employee trying to stop the assailant as the train journeyed between a city and another station in Cambridgeshire. Witnesses recounted a terrifying 14-minute duration after the train departed Peterborough, with bloodied victims running through compartments.
The suspect, a 32-year-old citizen from Peterborough, remains in detention for interrogation. Police declared a significant incident on the 6:25 pm service from Peterborough to King's Cross in downtown London.
Emergency Response and Aftermath
The event on Saturday night led to 11 people being treated in hospital after the train made an unscheduled stop at platform 2 in Huntingdon. Five people have since been discharged from medical care.
A bystander filmed the suspect brandishing a large knife and being shot with a stun device as he confronted police on the station. He was allegedly heard yelling, "Kill me, kill me."
“This awful event has created broad consequences. My thoughts and those of everyone in British Transport Police are with those injured and their families – particularly the courageous employee of train personnel whose family are being assisted by trained personnel,” said a high-ranking law enforcement official.
Union Response and Appeals for Measures
Rail unions were quick to praise staff and demand increased measures. One union leader said he would be “requesting urgent discussions with government, train companies and police to guarantee that we have the strongest available assistance, tools and effective protocols in place”.
A different union representative encouraged the train operator and government “to move quickly to examine security, to help the affected employees, and to ensure nothing like this happens again”.
Driver Praised for Quick Thinking
The operator who stopped the train at Huntingdon was described as being “very shaken” but “good”, and has been commended by association officials for doing “exactly the right thing”.
“The driver did not halt the train in the center of two stations where it’s clearly challenging for the emergency services to reach, but he carried on going until he arrived to Huntingdon, where the response was almost already there,” explained a union official.
Additional Information
Police said they got the first distress calls at 7:39 pm, and the service was compelled to make an unscheduled stop in Huntingdon at 7:50 pm.
An witness described at first wondering if the situation was a Halloween joke, but quickly realized from individuals' expressions that it was serious.
Authorities have stated there is nothing to indicate the incident was a terror-related incident and have asked the public to provide with any further information.
Train operations on the affected route are expected to experience disruption until the following day, with travelers recommended to defer their journeys where feasible.
Individuals with details that could help the investigation are encouraged to reach police by sending a message a designated number with a case code.
