British police say 10 people have been taken to hospitals after a mass stabbing attack on a London-bound train, nine of them with life-threatening injuries.
In a statement early on Sunday, hours after the attack, British Transport Police said it had been declared a "major incident".
"Counter Terrorism Policing are supporting our investigation whilst we work to establish the full circumstances and motivation for this incident," it said.
Two men have been arrested in connection with the incident, which occurred on a train near Cambridge, in eastern England, about 120 kilometres north of London.
"Armed officers attended and the train was stopped at Huntingdon, where two men were arrested," Cambridgeshire police said.
The police force also said that "Plato," the national code word used by police and emergency services when responding to what could be a "marauding terror attack," was initiated.
That declaration was later rescinded, but no motive for the attack was disclosed.
"We're conducting urgent enquiries to establish what has happened, and it could take some time before we are in a position to confirm anything further," Chief Superintendent Chris Casey said.
"At this early stage, it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident."
'Thought it was a Halloween prank'
Police said officers responded to calls at 7:39pm on Saturday to reports that multiple people had been stabbed on a train.
The train involved was the 6:25pm service from Doncaster to King’s Cross in London, British Transport Police said.
[datawrapper map]The East of England Ambulance Service said it mobilised a large-scale response to Huntingdon Railway Station, which included numerous ambulances and critical care teams, including three air ambulances.
"We can confirm we have transported multiple patients to hospital," it said.
One eyewitness told Sky News that one of the suspects, waving a large knife, was tasered by police.
Olly Foster, who spoke with the BBC, said he initially thought that warnings from other passengers to "run, run, there's literally a guy stabbing everyone" could have been a night-after-Halloween prank.
Within minutes, Mr Foster said people pushed through the carriage and he noticed his hand was "covered in blood" as there was "blood all over the chair" he had leaned on.
He added that the only thing people in his carriage could use against the attacker was a bottle of whiskey.
Incident labelled as 'appalling' by PM
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer called it an "appalling incident" that was deeply concerning.
"My thoughts are with all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services for their response. Anyone in the area should follow the advice of the police," he said in a post on X.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood asked people to "avoid comment and speculation" at this stage.
"I am deeply saddened to hear about the stabbings in Huntingdon. My thoughts go out to all those affected," she said in a post on X.
"I am receiving regular updates on the investigation."
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mayor Paul Bristow said he had heard of "horrendous scenes" on the train.
Train operator London North Eastern Railway (LNER) said all its railway lines had been closed while emergency services dealt with the incident at Huntingdon Station.
LNER, which runs rail services along the east of England and Scotland, urged passengers not to travel, warning of "major disruption".
ABC/wires
