BBC link above. Not too much information yet, other than that two attackers who are apparently in custody. There might also be at least one additional victim who isn’t in as serious condition?
I was reading a report about this incident. I wondered if it might have been a robbery, hijacking, altercation that got way out of hand, terror act. I imagine the investigators are grilling people like they’re on a hibachi right now.
The driver did well by getting off the express tracks to one where he could stop at Huntingdon station, which happens to be near a cop station.
There was another (black) guy arrested and released, yet also another report of someone holding a bottle. I’d have grabbed my laptop-bag and if I had a bottle I’d have that in hand. I wonder if that’s this guy.
I reckon things are fairly well sorted now. One 32 year old Caribbean attacker with British Citizenship, knife recovered. No motive yet they’ve eliminated terror.
Swift and good actions by the driver. Heroic action by an employee who was badly injured. They may not have a conductor on the train as you’d go through the turnstile/gates with tickets at Kings Cross (eta: and/or used them to get on the platforms. I believe this train had just the Peterborough stop where this guy got on)
The guy with the bottle and the 35 year old black guy they arrested and released are some details I’d like to hear more about.
The driver did extremely well in dealing with the situation, but you can’t steer a train. It was the signalling and control staff working with the driver who identified Huntingdon as the best station to stop, diverted or stopped other services to clear the slow line and rerouted the attacked train onto the Huntingdon tracks.
Good news - the rail worker who confronted the attacker is reported as being in a critical but stable condition, which is an upgrade from “life-threatening” last night.
The attacker has been named, and charged with ten counts of attempted murder, one of actual bodily harm, and one of possession of a bladed weapon.
Live updates here: Man charged with 10 counts of attempted murder after train knife attack - BBC News
Yes, of course. In this case, the driver made the correct contacts, and they were fortunate to be near Huntingdon. I’m sure there’s some contingency for getting Police and Rescue services to some arbitrary point, yet Huntingdon has them right there, and you can safely open the doors onto a platform.
Everyone (who can) is going to run anyway, and it seems this guy was slowly moving on the platform, so “run for your life” left a few critically wounded without help till cops & paramedics arrived.
Last time I took this line, Virgin was running it and, like most UK trains, there’s room behind the last seat for luggage (besides overhead racks and whatever people left behind). I sure hope this LNES employee tried to use something as a shield. It may not be a terrorist, yet, possibly like the London Bridge terrorists, he may also have taped the knife to his arm.
The other black guy apprehended - I’ve heard both were Caribbean, so would have had accents - was also trying to get away, of course. Some witnesses had said “they have knives,” so can’t really fault the police. Dunno if the CCTV footage is centralised somewhere or a bunch of SIM cards, yet eventually he was exonerated.
I’ve seen pictures of police going around train stations with assault rifles. That sort of thing didn’t give me any assurance after Sept. 11 in NYC and wouldn’t here. The train station near me has about five ways onto the platform without a ticket, and I really don’t want to have to get wanded or go through airport-style metal detectors. Besides, these guys seem to have a preference for carbon fiber knives, which may not have metal anyways - they’re not Sheffield Steel Bowie Knives (or Crocodile Dundee - take your pick).
So good location, proper procedure, and good thing this nut doesn’t have the skills of Dundee.
Everybody has an accent. The police referred, if memory serves, to “a British national of Caribbean heritage”, indicating that they were not Middle Eastern asylum-seekers. Presumably their accent would be that of wherever in the UK they were raised.
As for the reference up thread to a bottle, one of the passengers was quoted as saying that while trying to hide and assessing how they might defend themselves, one them had only a bottle of Jack Daniels.
My God, it never ends.
Understood. I reckon it was the reports of some of a “they” that led the cops to do their due diligence. I don’t know the area well, yet one arrest photographed by a taxi driver was near some red bins over a fence, and the other arrest on video, with the dog, looks like the street.
Though apparently there were three prior reports, Friday and Saturday, by some barbers who saw a guy with a knife and called the police. “A crime was raised” and again when a 14-year-old was stabbed Saturday. Knife guy didn’t stick around to follow-up with the police for any of the incidents.
Apparently, he had a rucksack. Could have had any number of knives.
So far we know an older guy blocked his attempt to stab a girl, another guy left what they’re calling the buffet car to confront him, and whether or not he’s the LNES employee isn’t known.
I wouldn’t suggest bringing a bottle of Jack’s to a knife-fight, yet a good conk in the head with a > .700 liter would do though you might not have time (or something metal) to break it. Yet it doesn’t sound like he was one of the confrontees.
And alas, no it will never stop. Either terror attacks or “lone crazy knife guys”.