A British man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in connection with a stabbing rampage on a London-bound train that sent 11 people to the hospital with serious injuries, the police said Sunday.
Officials said they did not believe the attack was terrorism related, but offered no potential motive for the spree on Saturday evening, which forced a commuter train from northern England to make an emergency stop.
The police initially said Sunday morning that they had arrested two men in connection with the attack, but said in an evening update that they believed one of the two men was not involved and had been pointed out by witnesses erroneously.
Of the 11 who were injured, five have been discharged from the hospital but one remains in “life-threatening condition,” officials said on Sunday. The police identified that person as a member of the staff of the London North Eastern Railway who was on board during the attack and tried to stop the assailant.
“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,” the British Transport Police said in a statement.
The police said the remaining suspect is a 32-year-old man from Peterborough, a city about two hours north of London, and that he was born in the United Kingdom. A knife was recovered at the scene, they said.
“At this stage, there is nothing to suggest that this is a terrorist incident,” John Loveless, the superintendent of the British Transport Police, said in a statement. “We continue to work to establish the full circumstances and motivation for this incident. At this early stage, it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident.”
Stuart Cundy, the police agency’s deputy chief constable, said that the investigation into the attack “is moving at pace and we are confident we are not looking for anyone else in connection to the incident. As would be expected, specialist detectives are looking into the background of the suspect we have in custody and the events that led up to the attack.”
The attack was the latest in a string of recent stabbings in Britain that has put the country on edge. Last month, a man attacked worshipers at a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur, killing one person and wounding several others. And a 22-year-old man was charged with murder and attempted murder last week after a triple stabbing in a west London suburb that killed a man walking his dog.
Saturday’s train attack drew swift condemnations from Britain’s leaders.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement on social media that the attack was “deeply concerning.” He added, “My thoughts are with all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services for their response.”
John Healey, the country’s defense secretary, told the BBC that he and his wife had been on the same train line a few hours earlier. He urged Britons to remain vigilant but said they should feel safe to go about their lives.
“For now, the early reports suggest this was an isolated incident,” he said on the BBC’s “Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg” program. “So from the public’s point of view, there’s no reason not to continue traveling.”
David Horne, the managing director of the rail line, said the company was “deeply shocked and saddened” by Saturday’s events.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected, particularly our colleague who remains in a life-threatening condition, and their family,” Mr. Horne said.
Witnesses on the train described frantic moments of horror unfolding as the train sped toward London’s King’s Cross station.
Olly Foster, a passenger, described the scene to the BBC and in a post on X.
“We ran from the back of the train to the end as everyone was screaming to run, explaining there was somebody stabbing everyone and everything,” Mr. Foster wrote. “There was blood on the top of countless chairs, coming from 2 of the guys who had been severely stabbed ahead of me.”
He and other witnesses described the passengers flooding onto the platform as soon as the train made its emergency stop, where travelers and paramedics tried to tend to the wounded.
Transport police said the first reports of the attack came at 7:42 p.m. on the 6:25 p.m. service to London from Doncaster, in northern England. Train engineers made an emergency stop at Huntingdon, where armed officers from Cambridgeshire Police boarded the train.
Mr. Loveless said that the two men were arrested “within eight minutes” of the first call to Britain’s emergency number.
Officials warned that the rail network would be disrupted on Sunday because of the investigation. Mr. Loveless said that the police were deploying extra resources to trains and train stations.
“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,” he said.
Michael D. Shear is a senior Times correspondent covering British politics and culture, and diplomacy around the world.
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