When passengers first heard the screams aboard the LNER train service on Saturday night, some thought it was nothing more than a Halloween prank — someone having a bit of fun as the train sped through the dark.
But within moments, the illusion shattered. The grim reality of a mass stabbing unfolded in the narrow carriages of the Doncaster to King’s Cross service.
Some sensed something was wrong when an ominous announcement crackled over the public address system: “We are aware there is an incident… just keep yourself safe.”
For others, there was no warning, as bloodied passengers ran screaming through the carriages, desperately trying to reach safety.
British Transport Police declared a major incident when the train made an unscheduled stop at Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, after passengers pulled the emergency alarms.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has described the incident as “appalling” and “deeply concerning”, while the Prince and Princess of Wales have said their thoughts are with “families and friends of all those impacted by the horrific events”.
A 32-year-old Black British national remains in custody on suspicion of murder.
Amid the chaos on the high-speed service on Saturday, the remarkable courage and heroism of passengers and LNER staff helped prevent a devastating situation from becoming even worse.
Here’s everything we know about the individuals who risked their lives to protect others.
LNER worker
A “heroic” railway worker, who has not been named, is in a critical but stable condition in hospital after confronting the knifeman in an attempt to stop him from injuring passengers.
He was among 11 victims taken to hospital and is understood to be in the most critical condition.
The attacker is believed to have stabbed his way through two carriages on the still-moving train before reaching carriage G — the location of the café bar — where he was confronted by the LNER worker.
One rail source told the Daily Mail: “He fought this guy, who had a large knife, to try to stop him hurting any more passengers.”
Officers later described the man’s actions as “nothing short of heroic” and said they “undoubtedly saved people’s lives.”
Stephen Crean
Nottingham Forest fan Stephen Crean was travelling home from a match against Manchester United when he was stabbed after confronting the attacker, it is understood.
Despite warnings from fellow passengers not to approach the knifeman, due to his small stature, Mr Crean reportedly told another Forest fan he was “going to confront him”.
Mr Crean was later seen at Huntingdon station, visibly injured and receiving medical attention.
A photo of Mr Crean was shared on Facebook by his friend, Sanji Beri, who described him as “one of the very best”.
In another post on behalf of Forest fans in Munster, one person wrote: “I have known him at least 10 years and he is one of the most gentlest souls you could meet.
“He follows Forest and Ireland home and away and I have regularly met him at The City Ground over the years as well as the likes of Luton, Spurs, Wembley, Ipswich and most recently in Seville.
“What a hero he is.”
Andrew Johnson
With only minutes to act, train driver Andrew Johnson, reportedly a Royal Navy veteran, had the train diverted to a different track.
This allowed it to stop at Huntingdon, a station not scheduled on the route, where emergency services were waiting, helping to limit the duration of the attack.
He 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 added: “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.”
Passengers have spoken of the horror that unfolded shortly after the train departed Peterborough station, with one woman saying she felt "very lucky" to be unharmed after begging the attacker to spare her life when he chased her through the carriage.
One witness described seeing a man with a bloodied arm running down the train shouting “they’ve got a knife”, while another recalled watching police Taser a suspect on the platform.
Shortly after the attacks began, the train made an emergency stop at Huntingdon station, where, according to witnesses, police officers Tasered a man armed with a knife.
British Transport Police said that eleven people were taken to hospital. Of the nine who initially suffered life-threatening injuries, four have since been discharged.
British defence secretary, John Healey, described it as an “isolated attack” but warned we are in a “new era of threat”.
One young woman, Maisie Harrison, was listening to Oasis and Queen through her headphones when chaos suddenly erupted around her.
She was moments away from being stabbed when an older man threw himself in front of the blade.
Olly Foster, who witnessed the incident, told the BBC that the older man “blocked” the blow with his head, leaving him injured.
Passengers reportedly rushed to help, giving him their jackets to stem the bleeding and keep pressure on the wound.
Mr Foster said he heard people shouting "run, there's a guy stabbing literally everyone and everything" and thought at first it might have been a Halloween prank.
Maisie’s mother, Dawn Duke, said she “owed everything” to the hero and prays he makes a “full recovery.”
She wrote on social media last night: “I cannot thank the man enough! What an absolute hero he is for saving my daughter’s life. I owe him everything!
“If he didn’t jump in front of Maisie it could be a different outcome! I have no words and I pray he makes a full recovery. Shows this world still has hero’s with all the trauma that we go through on a daily basis.
“Thank you to everyone for all the kind words of support at this awful horrific time.”
British Transport Police said they were called to reports of multiple stabbings at 7.42pm on Saturday evening after passengers pulled emergency alarms.
Passengers said the attack started about 10 minutes after the train left Peterborough station.
Speaking outside Huntingdon railway station, Supt John Loveless from British Transport Police said: "This is a shocking incident and my thoughts are with those who have been injured and their families.
"At 19:42 we were called to reports of a multiple stabbing on board the 18:25 LNER service from Doncaster to King's Cross.
"Officers immediately attended Huntingdon station alongside paramedics, where armed police from Cambridgeshire Police boarded the train and arrested two people within eight minutes of the first 999 call.
"We declared a major incident yesterday and counter terrorism policing were initially supporting our investigation. However, at this stage, there is nothing to suggest this is a terrorist incident.
"At this stage it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident.
"The station remains closed, but we expect trains to be passing through the station from this morning.
“Passengers will see a high visibility presence of police officers at stations and on trains throughout today who are there to reassure the public and respond to any concerns."
BTP said it had at one point declared ‘Plato’, which is the national code word used by emergency services when responding to a “marauding terror attack”, but later rescinded it.
