Huntington knife suspect to appear at court charged over horrific train stabbings: Live updates

A man accused of carrying out a stabbing attack on a high speed LNER service will appear in court this morning.

Anthony Williams, 32, will attend Peterborough Magistrates’ Court charged with multiple counts of attempted murder, one count of actual bodily harm and one count of possession of bladed article following the attacks on the service from Doncaster to London King’s Cross on Saturday.

He is also charged with another count of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article in connection to an incident on a train at Pontoon Dock DLR station in east London in the early hours of the same day, where a victim suffered facial injuries after being attacked with a knife.

A female passenger on the 6.25 service from Doncaster to London King’s Cross has told how she was confronted by a ‘zombie-like’ knifeman during the Huntingdon train horror.

The woman, who was sat in a window seat in Coach J, asked to remain anonymous but said:

A few minutes after leaving Peterborough, I heard a commotion behind me. At first I thought it was rowdy football supporters coming back from a Saturday game, but then I heard someone shout ‘he’s got a knife’, and other passengers started rushing towards me.

As hordes of terrified people ran through the train, she said an elderly man fell down in the aisle next to the passenger.

I looked up and saw a tall man dressed in all black with a long steel knife staring at me.

The passenger said that the attacker ‘seemed totally calm, almost zombie-like’.

She added: ‘Thank God, he then turned his eyes away from me.’

Here’s the moment the mayor of Huntingdon, Audrey McAdam, was interviewed about the train attack.

Ms McAdam admitted she was ‘too emotional to speak; as she tried to give her reaction.

Here’s our graphic showing how terror unfolded on the train as passengers travelled from Doncaster to London on the 6.25.

Asked about Kemi Badenoch’s comments that the attack shows there is ‘clearly something going wrong with our society’, Mr Healey said:

I don’t see that that helps anyone in the situation of coming to terms with that horrific attack on Saturday night.

I’d rather she talked about the extraordinary response of the train crew, the passengers, the emergency services, all of whom responded in quite a heroic way to what was a very serious attack which could have been so much worse.

In her response, the Conservative leader said:

There’s clearly something going wrong in our society right now, which I believe all politicians of all parties need to have a conversation about.

We cannot be a country where people are innocently going about their business and facing this level of violent crime.

Defence Secretary John Healey has praised the ‘swift’ response of police officers as a man was charged over a mass stabbing on a busy train in Cambridgeshire.

Speaking in Uxbridge, west London, on Monday, he told the PA news agency:

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.

The hero train driver who helped save passengers’ lives during a knife attack in Huntingdon is a Royal Navy and Iraq War veteran, it has been revealed.

Andrew Johnson, of Peterborough, rapidly diverted the London-bound train to Huntingdon station after being alerted to the mass stabbing, enabling emergency services to act fast.

The terrifying 15-minute knife rampage on Saturday evening left 11 people hospitalised, with two remaining in a ‘life-threatening condition’ on Sunday.

Two British nationals were being held on suspicion of attempted murder. One has since been released without further action.

Mr Johnson, who has been working as a train driver since 2018, served in the Royal Navy for 17 years, it is understood.

He was deployed to Iraq in 2003 during the second Gulf War.

This is the moment a brave railway worker approaches the suspect in the Huntingdon railway attack – before turning and warning passengers to keep fleeing.

The worker, in a high–visibility jacket, sees the man calmly strolling down the platform in a black hooded jacket after injuring 11 people in a heinous knife attack on an LNER train on Saturday evening.

CCTV footage exclusively obtained by the Daily Mail shows passengers fleeing down the platform shortly after 7.40pm on November 1.

In the footage, passengers on the 6.25 Doncaster to London Kings Cross service can be seen running for their lives after the driver made an emergency stop in Huntingdon.

‘They’re on their way, don’t worry,’ says the orange–clad rail worker, referring to the armed police who would eventually subdue the suspect.

He pleads with passengers: ‘Keep going straight down for me, move away please.’

London Underground worker Dean McFarlane recalled the moment passengers fled the train in chaos after a knifeman started attacking people inside the carriages.

He spoke to Channel 4 News about what he saw:

There are few places where the public are more vulnerable than on a packed train.

The terror and panic on the southbound LNER train on Saturday must have been appalling. The attack escalated quickly, with hundreds of people justifiably afraid for their lives.

In such a claustrophobic situation, amid the blood and the screams of the injured, passengers will have been frantic to get to safety, trampling over one another in the process.

As one of the survivors said, ‘You are in a box and you can’t get out.’ There is nowhere to run and very few places to hide.

Read the full column by former Met Police superintendent Kevin Hurley here:

Speaking in interviews earlier today, Ms Alexander said five people remain in hospital today following the attack on Saturday.

Eleven people were taken to hospital for treatment with many said to be a life-threatening condition but some of those have now left.

Ms Alexander told Times Radio earlier:

There are five people still in hospital, one of whom is the member of train crew… who this morning is in a critical but stable condition.

Some of the other people who had been taken to hospital on Saturday night have now been discharged.

The train where a stabbing attack took place was seen leaving Huntingdon Railway Station in Cambridgeshire this morning.

The London North Eastern Railway (LNER) Doncaster to King’s Cross train made an emergency stop at Huntingdon Railway Station following the train stabbings on Saturday evening.

A driver was seen boarding the train at 8.40am and the train then headed north back up the line.

Huntingdon Railway Station remains closed today and there were long queues for the rail replacement bus services this morning.

The railway line has now reopened so trains are able to pass through to London.

Police officers were also seen around the station this morning as investigations into the train stabbings continue today.

The man alleged to have carried out a stabbing spree on a high-speed train in Cambridgeshire is also accused of a knife attack at a London station earlier that day, police said.

Anthony Williams, 32, will appear at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court later on Monday accused of multiple counts of attempted murder, one count of actual bodily harm and one count of possession of bladed article following the attacks on the London North Eastern Railway (LNER) service from Doncaster to London King’s Cross on Saturday, British Transport Police.

He is also charged with another count of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article in connection to an incident on a train at Pontoon Dock DLR station in east London in the early hours of the same day, where a victim suffered facial injuries after being attacked with a knife.

Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Cundy said:

The criminal investigation and support for the victims is a priority for British Transport Police. Our investigation is also looking at other possible linked offences.

Following the charges authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service, I would stress the importance of not saying or publishing anything which might jeopardise or prejudice ongoing criminal proceedings, or the integrity of the investigation.

Heidi Alexander said there would be an increase in visible police patrols at stations following the LNER attack.

The Transport Secretary insisted public transport was safe despite the measures.

Speaking on the morning broadcast round, Ms Alexander said:

Public transport generally is a low-crime environment – and this incident was absolutely horrific on Saturday night, and I don’t want to take away from that in any way – but generally, our trains are some of the most safest forms of public transport anywhere in the world.

For every one million passenger journeys that are made, there are 27 crimes.

Now for me, one crime is one crime too many, so we will after this review all of our security measures because that is the right thing to do.

When the screaming started on the Saturday night train, some passengers assumed it was a Halloween prank.

But it fast emerged this was nothing to do with the previous day’s festival – a knifeman really was stabbing his way through the carriages of the 6.25pm Doncaster to London King’s Cross service.

However, a series of acts of heroism, in particular from a rail buffet worker now stable in hospital after fighting for his life who undoubtedly saved lives, according to witnesses.

One young woman, Maisie Harrison, was listening to Queen and Oasis through her headphones, and about to be stabbed when an older man threw himself in front of the blade.

Her mother Dawn Duke said last night she ‘owed everything’ to the hero.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said Anthony Williams had been charged with 11 counts of attempted murder, one more than was announced by British Transport Police.

Tracy Easton, chief crown prosecutor for CPS Direct, said:

The Crown Prosecution Service has decided to prosecute Anthony Williams with 11 counts of attempted murder, one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and two counts of possession of a bladed article – following a police investigation into an incident on a LNER train from Doncaster to London on Saturday 01 November 2025.

We know the devastating impact the events on Saturday’s train has had and how the incident shocked the entire country. Our thoughts remain with all those affected.

Ms Alexander said the suspect was not known to counter-terrorism police or MI5 but would not say if he had contact with mental health services.

I’m not going to speculate about his motivations or the events that led up to the incident.

What I can tell you is that he was not known to counter-terrorism police, he was not known to the security services, and he was not known to the Prevent programme.

Asked if the suspect was known to mental health services, she said:

I’m not in a position to share any more information about the individual, I’m afraid.

Anthony Williams has been charged with 10 counts of attempted murder, one count of actual bodily harm and one count of possession of bladed article following a knife attack on a train in Cambridgeshire on Saturday, British Transport Police (BTP) said.

Williams, 32, from Langford Road, Peterborough, will appear at Peterborough Magistrates on Monday morning, police said.

BTP said he 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 on November 1.

Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Cundy said:

The criminal investigation and support for the victims is a priority for British Transport Police. Our investigation is also looking at other possible linked offences.

Following the charges authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service I would stress the importance of not saying or publishing anything which might jeopardise or prejudice ongoing criminal proceedings, or the integrity of the investigation.

Hello and welcome to the Daily Mail’s live coverage following a mass stabbing attack on a London bound train on Saturday night.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has today praised the bravery of a ‘hero’ rail worker who tried to stop the attack on a LNER service.

The man is now in a stable condition after he was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Ms Alexander told Sky News: ‘He went in to do his job and he left work a hero. And there are people who are alive today because of his actions and his bravery.’

Stick with us throughout the day as we bring you the latest developments.