The evening of Saturday, November 1, 2025, turned into a scene of chaos and panic aboard the 6:25 pm LNER service, which was forced to make an emergency stop at Huntingdon station. The mass stabbing, which police have confirmed is not being treated as a terrorist incident, occurred shortly after the train departed Peterborough, with the attacker moving indiscriminately through carriages. Within eight minutes of the first 999 call at 7:42 pm, armed police from Cambridgeshire Constabulary and British Transport Police (BTP) were on board the train, arresting the suspect after an initial struggle, which reportedly involved the use of a Taser.

The aftermath saw eleven people rushed to local hospitals, with an LNER staff member—later identified as Samir Zitouni—remaining in a critical but stable condition. Mr. Zitouni has been widely hailed as a hero, with BTP stating his actions were “nothing short of heroic and undoubtedly saved many people’s lives” after he used a frying pan to defend passengers. The investigation revealed that the train attack was not an isolated incident; detectives have linked the accused, Anthony Williams, to at least three other knife-related incidents in the 24 hours prior, including the stabbing of a 14-year-old boy in Peterborough and an attack on a DLR train in London.

The linked incidents have led to questions regarding police protocol and whether the train attack could have been prevented. The owner of a Peterborough barber shop, where the accused reportedly confronted staff with a knife hours before the train incident, publicly questioned the speed and seriousness of the initial police response to his calls. Meanwhile, the rail network saw a temporary surge in police visibility across stations and services aimed at reassuring the public. The focus now shifts to the courts, with Anthony Williams facing multiple counts of attempted murder, as the community rallies to support the victims and the courageous rail workers who faced down the attacker.