UK police arrest two after multiple people stabbed on train

UK police said they had arrested two suspects on Saturday after "a number of people" were taken to hospital and a "large-scale" emergency response was mobilized following a stabbing on a train in Cambridgeshire, eastern England.

"We are currently responding to an incident on a train to Huntingdon where multiple people have been stabbed," British Transport Police said on X, adding that "two people have been arrested."

Cambridgeshire police said: "A number of people have been taken to hospital."

A witness described seeing a man with a large knife and told The Times newspaper there was "blood everywhere" as people hid in the washrooms.

Some passengers were being "stamped (on) by others" as they tried to run, and the witness told The Times they "heard some people shouting we love (you)."

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the "appalling" incident was "deeply concerning."

"My thoughts are with all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services for their response," Starmer said in a statement on X.

"Anyone in the area should follow the advice of the police," Starmer added, while his interior minister, Shabana Mahmood, confirmed two people had been taken into custody.

Armed police were at the scene after being alerted around 7:40 p.m., and the train was stopped at Huntingdon, a market town in eastern England, police said.

Dozens of emergency vehicles were deployed to the station, and people were being led away in space blankets, an AFP photographer reported.

Local ambulance services mobilized a "large-scale response" to the station, including ambulances, air ambulances and tactical commanders.

"We can confirm we have transported multiple patients to hospital," the East of England Ambulance Service said on X.