British police say a 32-year-old man is the only suspect over a mass stabbing attack on a London-bound train that left at least 11 people in hospital.
Authorities in the United Kingdom said on Sunday local time that a 35-year-old man arrested in relation to the incident had been released without charge.
Police are questioning the 32-year-old on suspicion of attempted murder.
They are not treating the stabbings as an act of terror, but have not disclosed a possible motive or the type of knife, or knives, used.
“Our investigation is moving at pace and we are confident we are not looking for anyone else in connection to the incident,” Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Cundy of the British Transport Police said.
“As would be expected, specialist detectives are looking into the background of the suspect we have in custody and the events that led up to the attack.”
Six people remained in hospitals on Sunday, with at least one person still in a critical condition.
Forensic investigators remained on the scene in England’s east a day after the attack. (AP: Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Police said that person was a member of railway staff who tried to stop the attack and saved many lives with his “heroic” actions.
The train’s driver, Andrew Johnson, raised the alarm with a control centre about an unfolding incident and made a decision to switch the carriages from a fast track to a slower track so that it could stop at Huntingdon within minutes, the BBC reported.
That decision also meant that the train could stop at a station where police could board, rather than coming to a halt between stations — which would have been less accessible.
The head of the transport union RMT, Eddie Dempsey, commended the train crew, driver and operators “who quickly assisted in diverting the King’s Cross-bound train into Huntingdon station”.
Five other injured people were discharged from hospitals.
The British men were arrested eight minutes after the first emergency calls were made at 7:42pm on Saturday from aboard the train, where passengers had reported scenes of panic and chaos, with many running through the carriages and some seeking safety in the toilets.
Police said the suspect was from Peterborough and that he boarded the train at the town’s station, a few minutes before it was forced into an emergency stop in Huntingdon, a market town around 120 kilometres north of London.
“This is a shocking incident and my thoughts are with those who have been injured and their families,” British Transport Police Superintendent John Loveless said outside the station in Huntingdon.
“There is nothing to suggest this is a terrorist incident.”
Police Superintendent John Loveless says authorities are not treating the incident as an act of terror. (AP: Kirsty Wigglesworth)
The train made an emergency stop in Huntingdon, a market town around 120 kilometres north of London.
Bloodied and confused passengers spilled out of the train as dozens of police waited, some of them armed.
During the immediate response to the attack, police said that “Plato,” the national code word used by police and emergency services when responding to what could be a “marauding terror attack”, was initiated.
That declaration was later rescinded.
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“At this early stage, it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident,” Superintendent Loveless said.
The attack took place as the 6:25pm train from Doncaster in northern England to London’s King’s Cross station was about halfway through its two-hour journey, having just departed Peterborough.
Passenger Olly Foster told the BBC he heard people shouting “run, run, there’s a guy literally stabbing everyone”, and initially thought it might have been a Halloween prank.
As passengers pushed past Mr Foster to get away, he said he noticed his hand was covered in blood from a chair he had leaned on.
Police had activated the UK’s “Plato” emergency code word to flag a potential “marauding terror attack”. (AP: Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Mr Foster said he saw an older man block the assailant from stabbing a younger girl, adding the attack “felt like forever”, though it lasted only minutes.
Another witness told The Times newspaper there was “blood everywhere” as people hid in the washrooms.
Others told Sky News they saw a man holding a large knife on the platform after the train halted. They then saw the man restrained by police.
Following reports that some people on the train put themselves in harm’s way to protect others, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood praised the “exceptional bravery of staff and passengers on the train”.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the “appalling” incident was “deeply concerning”.
King Charles III said he and his wife, Queen Camilla, sent their sympathies and thoughts to those affected and that they were “truly appalled and shocked to hear of the dreadful knife attack”.
London North Eastern Railway, or LNER, which operates the East Coast Mainline services in the UK, confirmed the incident had happened on one of its trains and said there would be major disruption on the route until Monday.
Superintendent Loveless said passengers would see a “high visibility presence of police officers at stations and on trains” on Sunday.
AP