A 32-year-old has been charged with 11 counts of attempted murder after a mass knife attack on a train. Image credit: LBC shared via X @LBC.
(The Post News) – The British Transport Police (BTP) have charged Anthony Williams, a 32-year-old man from Peterborough, with a total of 11 counts of attempted murder following a sequence of knife attacks on Saturday, November 1st.
According to reports, Williams is charged in connection to the mass stabbing aboard a high-speed train near Cambridgeshire and an earlier incident at a London DLR station. Authorities have been clear that while the incidents were horrific, they are not being treated as acts of terrorism.
Charges Facing the Suspect
Williams is facing prosecution for several serious offences, including charges for ten counts of attempted murder related to the mass stabbing aboard the LNER train service traveling from Doncaster to London King’s Cross. The suspect also faces one additional count of attempted murder linked to an incident that occurred at a London DLR station in the early hours of Saturday morning, one count of actual bodily harm, and One count of possession of a bladed article.
The combined charges consolidate the investigation, treating the separate acts of violence on Saturday as stemming from a single alleged perpetrator.
Train Attack and Capture
However, while both incidents are horrific, the most prominent incident occurred on the London-bound LNER service.Reports state that passengers reported scenes of chaos and panic after the attack began shortly after the train departed Peterborough.
The driver of the train made a critical, unscheduled emergency stop at Huntingdon station in Cambridgeshire, allowing armed officers to rapidly board the train. It is said that within minutes of the emergency call, Williams was arrested on the platform, reportedly after being subdued with a Taser while brandishing a knife.
It is further reported that one of the victims in the train attack, who sustained a life-threatening injury and remains in the hospital, was an off-duty member of LNER rail staff.
BTP officials praised the worker as “heroic” for intervening to stop the attacker.
Official Ruling
Following a review that involved counter-terrorism police, Superintendent John Loveless of the BTP stated there was nothing to suggest that this is a terrorist incident.
Police said the investigation continues to focus on the full circumstances and motivation behind the individual’s actions.
The incident caused significant travel disruption and led to public calls for greater security on the rail network, though police have maintained that this was an isolated event.
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