A hero rail worker who shielded passengers during a knife rampage on a London-bound train is critical but stable in hospital after “undoubtedly saving people’s lives”, police said.
The member of staff, who has not been named, was one of 10 victims taken to hospital following an attack on a Doncaster to King’s Cross high-speed service.
British Transport Police declared a major incident when the train came to a stop in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire after passengers pulled the emergency alarms.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have said their thoughts are with “families and friends of all those impacted by the horrific events”.
William also praised “the first responders and train staff that acted so swiftly”.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander praised the “hero” LNER staff member whose “actions undoubtedly saved lives.”
She told Times Radio: “He went to work on Saturday morning to do his job and he left work a hero.
“British Transport Police have reviewed CCTV footage from what happened on the train and he literally put himself in harms way so there will be people alive today because of his actions.”
The LNER staff member was said to be in a critical condition. In an update on Monday morning, his condition was described as “stable”..
On the suspect arrested, she said he was “not known to counter-terrorism police, not known to the security services and not known to the Prevent programme”. She declined to say anything on the possible motive for the attack or “events that led up to the incident” to avoid the risk of prejudicing any future trial.
Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Cundy, of BTP, said: “This was a horrific attack that has had a wide impact.
“My thoughts and those of everyone in British Transport Police are with those injured and their families – especially the brave member of rail staff whose family are being supported by specialist officers.
“Having viewed the CCTV from the train, the actions of the member of rail staff were nothing short of heroic and undoubtedly saved people’s lives.”
Eyewitnesses told how there was “blood everywhere”.
One saw a man with a bloodied arm fleeing down a carriage yelling “they’ve got a knife” while another saw police Taser a suspect on a platform.
The London North Eastern Railway worker is the only person still fighting for their life, BTP said, as they confirmed five of those taken to hospital had been discharged.
One of the two men arrested at the scene has been released with no further action.
A 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent who was arrested eight minutes after police were called at 7.42pm was held after a report in good faith, BTP said, but officers have since established he was not involved.
'They were stabbing everyone'
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) November 2, 2025
Olly Foster was on a train where ten people were stabbed - leaving nine with life threatening injuries - before police arrested two men when it stopped at Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire https://t.co/CvnJrhpbGb pic.twitter.com/5CnRPggQl9
The other man, a 32-year-old black British national, remains in custody on suspicion of attempted murder.
He is from Peterborough and boarded the train there, when it stopped at 7.30pm, officers confirmed.
A knife was recovered by police at the scene of the incident, which police previously said is not believed to have been motivated by terrorism.
A passenger reportedly cheated death after the attacker came at her with a knife during Saturday’s train rampage in Huntingdon.
Dayna Arnold, 48, was sat in the same train carriage as the attacker after boarding at Peterborough with her pal Andy Gray, 37.
She fell to the floor as other ran through the carriage when he started plunging his blade into “anyone he could find”, Ms Arnold said.
The site manager Dayna, from Bridlington, East Yorkshire, told The Sun: “I was going with the crowd but then I got knocked into some seats.
“I looked back and saw the knifeman running so I slid down to the floor. He came at me with the knife and I begged ‘Please don’t’.
One man, who gave his name as Gavin, told Sky News he believed he saw the suspect Tasered before he was arrested.
In footage, having been wrestled to the ground on the platform the man wearing all black reportedly shouting at officers, “Kill me, kill me, kill me”.
Other videos show the moment terrified train passengers fled down a platform.
Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has vowed to help fund medical care for any fan involved. A number of supporters were returning to London on the train after watching the 2-2 draw with Manchester United.
Olly Foster, who also witnessed the unfolding incident, told the BBC an older man - said to be a Forest season-ticket holder - “blocked” the attacker from stabbing a young girl, leaving him with serious injuries to his head and neck.
Detectives investigating a major incident in Cambridgeshire can this evening confirm a 32-year-old man who was arrested is now being treated as the only suspect.
— British Transport Police (@BTP) November 2, 2025
We’ve established that the second man arrested was not involved in the attack.
👇https://t.co/RgHF95h49y pic.twitter.com/lh0FKMhfhq
Mr Foster told the broadcaster other passengers used their clothing to try to stem the bleeding.
Passengers hid in train toilets and its buffet car to protect themselves from a man with a large knife seen making his way through the train, The Times reported.
Witness Thomas McLachlan, 19, from London, told BBC News he saw people leaving the train “drenched in blood”.
Mr McLachlan said: “There was one man clutching a white sheet to his head who looked like he was stabbed twice. (There were) really severe injuries. And there was just general fear among everyone involved.”
David Horne, managing director of LNER, said: “We are deeply shocked and saddened by yesterday’s incident and our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected, particularly our colleague who remains in a life-threatening condition, and their family.
“I would like to thank the emergency services for their quick and professional response and the care they provided to those injured.
“I would also like to recognise the driver, crew and our operational response colleagues for their bravery and quick actions.
“This is a deeply upsetting incident. Over the coming days we will continue to co-operate with the authorities involved and will do everything we can to support our customers and colleagues during this very difficult time.”
The driver who stopped the train at Huntingdon is “very shaken”, but “good”, and has been commended by an Aslef union officer who said he had done “exactly the right thing”.
Named in The Telegraph as Andrew Johnson, the paper reported that the driver is also a Royal Navy and Iraq War veteran.
Mr Johnson told ITV News: “I was only doing my job. It was my colleague who is in hospital who was the brave one.”
Nigel Roebuck, Aslef officer who leads on negotiations with LNER, said: “He (the driver) didn’t stop the train in the middle of two stations where it’s obviously difficult for the emergency services to reach, but he carried on going until he got to Huntingdon, where the response was pretty much already there.”
Mr McFarlane said: “When I spoke to the driver, he told me that he had people banging on his door telling him that people had been stabbed.
“That driver has mere minutes to act and make sure that people are aware of what’s going on and get that train stopped as quickly as possible in the best place and get everyone off that train as soon as possible.”
Mr MacFarlane spoke to one passenger who initially thought “it must be a Halloween prank”.
But went on to describe what he saw in the car park: “As I left the station, obviously aware that something’s going on, that’s quite serious, I turn to my right outside the car park and I see someone running around the car park dressed in black looking a little bit, sort of almost like they don’t know what they’re doing or where they are, they’re just running around aimlessly.
“I couldn’t quite tell if that was an attacker - I sort of just took it as I need to get away safely, quickly.
“So I turned the opposite direction and ran up the hill away from the station to the main road.”
Huntingdon station remains closed, and police have thanked the public for their patience.
The attack is understood to have started shortly after the London North Eastern Railway (LNER) train left Peterborough station.
LNER, which operates East Coast Main Line services in the UK, said disruption to its services between London King’s 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.
Anyone with information they believe could help police is asked to contact BTP by texting 61016 quoting reference 663 of 01/11/25.
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