Police and ministers have "serious questions to answer" after a man was charged with attempting to murder someone in east London hours before he allegedly carried out a mass attack on a high-speed train.
Three other knife-related incidents in Peterborough, including the stabbing of a 14-year-old boy on Friday, are also believed to be linked to the train attack suspect, police have said.
Susan Hall, the leader of the Conservatives in City Hall, said it was “extremely concerning” that the man accused of knifing 10 people on an LNER train from Doncaster on Saturday has also been charged with an attack at Pontoon Dock DLR station earlier the same day.
Anthony Williams was arrested on suspicion of 10 counts of attempted murder, one count of actual bodily harm and one count of possession of a bladed article following the knife incident on a train at 6.25pm on Saturday.
The Crown Prosecution Service said on Monday morning that the 32-year-old has also been charged with another count of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article in connection with an incident at Pontoon Dock DLR station in the early hours of the same day.
Downing Street said it expected detectives to examine the events leading up to the attack.
Ms Hall told the Standard: “It poses very serious questions. How does someone who is suspected of attempted murder in east London board a train up north? Why was there not a manhunt for him?
“Why aren’t ministers explaining the circumstances around this extremely concerning incident to the public?
“There are serious questions to answer. People don’t feel safe on the streets of London and need answers.”
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp asked home secretary Shabana Mahmood to confirm whether police in London knew of suspected attacker Williams' identity, and if they informed Cambridgeshire Police.
"I'm asking, were there any opportunities to prevent this from occurring?” the Conservative MP said in the Commons.
Ms Mahmood had earlier said: "I know this House, and the public, will have many unanswered questions today about who this attacker was and about the events that led up to the attack.
"Those questions will be answered, but it will take time – the police and prosecutors must be allowed to do their work."
She confirmed Williams "was not known to the security services, counter-terror policing, or Prevent".
Cambridgeshire Police said three knife-related incidents linked to the Huntingdon train attack suspect happened on Friday and Saturday. The force has referred itself to the independent police complaints watchdog.
"The first incident of a man with a knife at a barbers in Fletton happened at 7.25pm on Friday but was reported to us at 9.10pm - two hours after the incident occurred,” a police spokesman said.
"At the time of reporting the man was no longer there and had not returned, so we did not send officers, but a crime was raised.
"The second incident was reported to us at 9.25am on Saturday again by the barbers in Fletton while the man was still at the scene. Officers were deployed to the location and arrived within 18 minutes.
"Upon searching the area, officers were unable to locate the man or identify him and a crime was raised.
"There was also a third incident that police also believe may be linked which also happened on Friday 31 October at 7.10pm, where a 14-year-old was stabbed by a man with a knife in the city centre.
“They were taken to Peterborough City Hospital with minor injuries and were later discharged.
"The offender had left the scene when the call was made and despite a search of the area by officers and a police dog, the offender was not identified.
"We are currently reviewing all incidents in the timeframe to understand whether there were any further potential offences.”
Asked if there were questions for the police to answer following the earlier incidents, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said on Monday morning: "Clearly, whenever there is a serious incident of this kind it would be natural to assume that police forces would look at the handling of their cases, and I'm sure that would be the same here."
Police previously said the suspect was a black British national who boarded Saturday's train at Peterborough station.
Passengers described how a person brandishing a knife began stabbing people as the train passed through Cambridgeshire.
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, Mr Crean reportedly told another Forest supporter he was “going to confront him”.
“Detectives have reviewed the CCTV from the train and it is clear his actions were nothing short of heroic and undoubtedly saved many people's lives,” police said.
Four other people are still being treated in hospital, while five have been discharged.
Defence Secretary John Healey on Monday praised the "swift" response of police officers.
Speaking in Uxbridge, west London, he said: "I think the response of the emergency services was swift. The launch of the investigation was swift.
"Quite rightly, the reports to the public on the early assessments and the conclusion, giving the public as much information as the police could as soon as they could, was quite right and this is the latest development in that.
"And if the police have got more to say, they'll let us know."
Williams, from Peterborough, appeared at Peterborough Magistrates' Court on Monday.
He spoke only to confirm his name, age and address.
He will next appear at Cambridge Crown Court on December 1.
