Huntingdon train stabbing latest: Man, 32, now sole suspect

The Prince and Princess of Wales have said their thoughts are with all those affected by the Huntingdon attack.

A Kensington Palace spokesperson told reporters: “I spoke to the Prince of Wales this morning and he also asked me to express his and the Princess of Wales’ thoughts for the families and friends of all those impacted by the horrific events last night near Huntingdon.

“He also wishes for me to express his thoughts are also with the first responders and train staff that acted so swiftly.”

The train, which was heading to London Kings Cross, was diverted the train into Huntingdon station last night so police could respond to the incident.

The driver who stopped the train at Huntingdon is understood to be called Andrew Johnson.

An Aslef union officer said the driver is “very shaken” but “good” and commended him for doing “exactly the right thing”.

Nigel Roebuck, full-time organiser in the north-east of England for the train drivers’ union Aslef and lead officer with LNER, said: “The driver did everything he was trained to do, at the right time and in the right way.

“He brought the train into a station where passengers could disembark safely and where police, fire and rescue, and ambulance crew could get on to the train and attend to the victims and, we believe, catch the culprit.

“He showed real courage, real dedication, and real determination in the most difficult of circumstances. Our thoughts tonight are with his colleague who is still in intensive care.”

A 32-year- old man born in Britain is suspected of carrying out the Huntingdon train knife attack which is not believed to have been motivated by terrorism, police have said.

But the train attack is the latest in a number of high-profile multiple stabbings in the UK.

Knife-enabled homicides stood at 196 in the year to June, down 18 per cent from 239 in the previous 12 months.

However, the number of offences classed as knife-enabled threats to kill has risen by 7 per cent year on year from 5,719 to 6,126.

The number of offences classed as “possession of an article with a blade or point” stood at 28,499, up 3 per cent year on year from 27,760 – and higher than the pre-pandemic figure of 23,265 in 2019/20.

The Independent’s crime correspondent Amy-Clare Martin reports…

Dayna Arnold, 48, revealed she begged the knifeman to spare her life as he stood over her with a 6ins blade after she was separated from her partner in the panic.

“I was running and when I looked back I saw the knifeman running after me,” the project manager told The Mirror.

“I fell down and I just said, ‘Please don’t kill me’. Something shifted in his face and he just carried on.”

Meanwhile her partner Andy Gray, 37, used his belt as a torniquet to help a young man who was bleeding profusely from a would on his arm.

“He had gashes on his arm and a severe puncture under his arm. There was a lot of blood coming out of him.

“He said, ‘I’ve been stabbed, please help me.’ It looked like an artery had been hit. I took off my belt and made a tourniquet. He was saying, ‘Please call my dad, I don’t want to die’.”

He added: “I still have [the victim’s] blood on my jumper. I heard there were two people critical so I hoped we saved his life.”

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has vowed to help fund medical care for any fan involved in the Huntingdon train knife attack after a season-ticket holder suffered serious injuries protecting a young girl.

One of those involved in the incident was a Forest season-ticket holder who suffered serious injuries in the process of protecting a young girl during the attack.

Mr Marinakis said he will fund medical care for any Forest fan injured in the incident.

“Everyone at Nottingham Forest is shocked and deeply saddened by what happened,” He said in a statement.

“The courage and selflessness shown by our supporters on that train represents the very best of humanity and the very best of our club’s community.

“We will make sure any supporter caught up in this incident receives whatever financial support they require to enable them to access the best possible medical care as they recover.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected.”

LNER trains is expecting services to run as normal on Monday, but the train company still recommends checking your journey before travelling.

Huntingdon station has been closed all day following the stabbing attack on Saturday night.

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander has thanked transport police and train staff for being “heroic” and “saving lives.”

In a post on X she wrote: “From the updates I’ve received throughout the day, it’s crystal clear that the actions of @LNER and @BTP staff last night were heroic and saved lives.

“My thoughts remain with the LNER staff member in hospital and their family.”