Nine with life-threatening injuries - as counter-terrorism police join train stabbing investigation

Counter-terrorism police have joined an investigation into a mass stabbing on a train, which left nine people with life-threatening injuries.

The train was stopped at Huntingdon station, in Cambridgeshire, after officers received the first 999 call at 7.39pm on Saturday. A man with a large knife is believed to have been shot with a Taser by police after going on a bloody rampage on the high-speed train after it left nearby Peterborough station.

Train stabbing latest: Terror threat level unchanged despite attack British Transport Police said two people have been arrested and in total, 10 people - nine with life-threatening injuries - had been taken to hospital. Armed police, paramedics, air ambulances, and transport police were deployed to the train - the 6.25pm London North Eastern Railway (LNER) service between Doncaster and London King's Cross.

Witnesses told Sky News the stabbings started around nine minutes after the train left Peterborough and passengers sounded the emergency alarm. Some told of people trampling over each other, and some hiding in the toilets to escape.

One told Sky News he saw one of the attackers being Tasered by police before being arrested. Police declared the situation a "major incident" and said counter-terrorism police are now supporting the investigation.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said it was an "appalling incident" and was "deeply concerning". "My thoughts are with all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services for their response," he wrote on X.

The Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she was "deeply saddened" by the incident and urged the public to "avoid comment and speculation at this early stage". Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said on X: "Horrific scenes in Huntingdon, in what seems to be a brutal mass attack by two perpetrators.

"My thoughts are with all those injured or affected and the emergency services responding." 'Shocked and frightened' passengers Defence Secretary John Healey spoke to Sky News on Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips and said he took the same train route just hours before last night's attack. "It's the service I use every week to get home to Rotherham, so I can't begin to imagine how shocked and frightened those passengers were." Asked by Phillips if the attack has changed the UK's terror threat level, he says no and that it remains "substantial" - meaning an attack is considered "likely".

Read more:'They've got a knife, I've been stabbed': Eyewitness recalls attackMass stabbing on train: How the attack unfoldedWatch - moment armed police arrive at train stabbing in Huntingdon 'Like a horror film' Mayor of Huntingdon, Councillor Audrey McAdam, told Sky News she was "very emotional" after hearing about the stabbing and said it must have been like a "horror film" for the passengers. "I'm still in shock...

I'm very emotional, and as soon as I found out, I thought, 'oh no'. "I'm worried about the people actually in hospital at this moment...

it's something I never thought would ever happen around Huntingdon... it's something so dreadful.

"But to live in that moment... it's a horror film...

complete horror. I just cannot imagine what the people must have [been] feeling...

When you're stuck on a train, what can you do? A moving train." 'A big response' Huntingdon MP Ben Obese-Jecty spoke to Sky News at the scene on Saturday night. He said: "When I first arrived here, I've simply never seen as big a response to an emergency incident as there was in terms of police, fire and ambulance." On Sunday morning, Mr Obese-Jecty spoke again about the "rapid, incredible response" and praised the "brave officers who came to try and neutralise that threat".

The chief constable of Cambridgeshire Constabulary told him officers had been training for a similar emergency "only last week". The MP also called for people to avoid guessing about the circumstances.

"I think also people need to keep cool heads at this time. I've seen an awful lot of speculation online and a lot of misinformation," he added.

David Horne, managing director of LNER, said the company is "deeply shocked and saddened". National Rail says some train routes to and from London King's Cross on LNER, Great Northern and Thameslink services face disruption on Sunday.

A spokesperson for the Rail, Maritime and Transport union also said they were "horrified" by the attack. "Our thoughts remain with the train crew and passengers who were either at work or going about their business on a busy Saturday night during this awful incident.".