Forensic police officers examine the LNER train as it sits in Huntingdon Station after a stabbing attack on Nov. 02, 2025 in Huntingdon, England. Leon Neal / Getty Images

British police dismissed speculation on Sunday that a mass stabbing attack on a London-bound train that hospitalized 11 people the night before was terrorism-related.

Police said two people injured in the incident remain in life-threatening condition. Two men, born in the United Kingdom, remain in custody. They were arrested eight minutes after the first emergency calls were made from aboard the train.

"It's a shocking incident, and first and foremost, my thoughts are with the family and friends of those who' been affected and those who are injured," British Transport Police Superintendent John Loveless said in a news conference outside the station in Huntingdon in eastern England, where the train halted soon after the attack.

"There is nothing to suggest this is a terrorist incident," he added.

The two arrested – a 32-year-old Black British man and a 35-year-old man of Caribbean descent – remain in custody on suspicion of attempted murder, Loveless said.

The police superintendent also gave an update on those injured in the attack, reducing the number in life-threatening condition from nine to two. Four of the injured have been discharged from the hospital, he said. One other person had arrived at the hospital, taking the overall number injured in the attack to 11.

Emergency services, including armed police and air ambulances, were quick to arrive on the scene shortly after they were alerted after 7:30 p.m. local time Saturday as the train drew into Huntingdon, a market town a few miles northwest of the university city of Cambridge. The two people were arrested at the station, which is around 75 miles north of London.

Police said the stabbing attack occurred on the Doncaster to London King's Cross train as it headed into Huntingdon. It did not provide a motive for the attack.

The British newspaper The Times reported that a witness described seeing a man with a large knife. The witness told The Times there was "blood everywhere," with people hiding in bathrooms to escape, and some getting "stamped (on) by others" as they tried to flee.

Paul Bristow, the mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, said in a post on X that he had heard of reports of "horrendous scenes" on the train. Cambridge is located in the county of Cambridgeshire.

Passenger Olly Foster told the CBS News partner BBC News that he heard people shouting "run, run, there's a guy literally stabbing everyone," and initially thought it might have been a Halloween prank — Saturday was a day after Halloween. But as passengers pushed past him to get away, he noticed his hand was covered in blood from a chair he had leaned on.

In a social media post, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the attack an "appalling incident" that was "deeply concerning," and urged people in the area to "follow the advice of the police."

"My thoughts are with all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services for their response," he wrote.

Britain's King Charles III sent his sympathies and thoughts to those affected and said he was "truly appalled and shocked to hear of the dreadful knife attack."

"Our deepest sympathy and thoughts are with all those affected, and their loved ones," the king said. "We are particularly grateful to the emergency services for their response to this awful incident."

London North Eastern Railway, or LNER, which operates the East Coast Mainline services in the U.K., confirmed the incident had happened on one of its trains and said there would be major disruption on the route until Monday.

"Passengers will see high visibility presence of police officers at stations and on trains throughout today, up and down the transport network," Loveless said.


Superintendent John Loveless from British Transport Police speaks to the press at Huntingdon Station after a stabbing attack on November 02, 2025 in Huntingdon, England. Leon Neal / Getty Images


Police cars and ambulances are pictured outside Huntingdon Station in Huntingdon, England, on Nov. 1, 2025, following a stabbing attack on a train. JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images


Police officers stand with British Transport Police and members of the emergency services outside Huntingdon Station in Huntingdon, England, following a stabbing on a train. Nov. 1, 2025. JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images

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