Footage has emerged showing passengers stumbling off the train holding a blood-stained rag, including a man who was allegedly stabbed in the head while protecting a young girl
A man who has been dubbed the ‘Hero of Huntingdon’ after saving a girl from a knifeman on a high-speed train was later seen using a rag to mop up blood from his own head.
Two people remain in a life-threatening condition following the bloody rampage on Saturday, after which 11 people needed hospital treatment, British Transport Police (BTP) said. Two British nationals were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, and one was subsequently released.
Now, footage has emerged showing passengers stumbling off the train holding a blood-stained rag, with some of the confused victims wondering where they were as they staggered off the platform in Huntingdon. A man who is understood to have been stabbed while using his head to prevent a knifeman from stabbing a young girl was also spotted holding a white rag to his head, with blood seeping through.
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As another elderly passenger helps the man, a person can be heard asking: “Is he okay?” Meanwhile, an attendant urges everyone to exit the train while the person who is recording the man walking away says: “That’s mad.”
BTP declared a major incident and said the suspects were arrested after the 6.25pm train service from Doncaster to London King’s Cross was stopped at Huntingdon station. The attack is believed to have happened shortly after the service departed Peterborough station.
It is unclear when the two suspects got on the train. Superintendent John Loveless said one suspect is a black British national and the other is a British national of Caribbean descent. Both men, aged 32 and 35, were born in the UK.
Mr Loveless said 11 people had been treated in hospital, and after nine originally presented with life-threatening injuries, four have now been discharged. Commenting on whether the incident was terrorism, he told reporters: “British Transport Police declared a major incident yesterday, and counter-terrorism policing were initially supporting our investigation. However, at this stage, there is nothing to suggest that this is a terrorist incident.”
Mr Loveless said armed police officers and paramedics attended Huntingdon station and boarded the train, arresting two suspects within eight minutes of the 999 call being made. Nottingham Forest said many of their supporters living in London had been on the train after their match against Manchester United, and commended the “extraordinary bravery” of fans who helped other passengers.
Evangelos Marinakis, the club’s owner, said: “Everyone at Nottingham Forest is shocked and deeply saddened by what happened. The courage and selflessness shown by our supporters on that train represents the very best of humanity and the very best of our club’s community.”
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood praised the “exceptional bravery of staff and passengers on the train”. She also confirmed the incident was not being treated as terrorism. LNER, which operates East Coast Mainline services in the UK, said disruption to its services between London Kings Cross and Lincoln, Doncaster, Leeds, Bradford Forster Square and Harrogate was expected to last until Monday, with passengers advised to defer their travel where possible.
