IN CHURCHES across England on Sunday, prayers were focused on the “appalling violence” carried out on a train from Doncaster to London the previous night, the Bishop of Huntingdon, the Rt Revd Dagmar Winter, has said.
Eleven people were hospitalised after a mass stabbing attack on the 6.25 p.m. London North Eastern Railway service from Doncaster to King’s Cross. Eyewitnesses reported that a man brandishing a kitchen knife began stabbing people after the train passed through Peterborough.
Police are not treating the attack as a terrorist incident.
Two British men in their 30s were initially arrested. One, Anthony Williams, 32, of Langford Road, Peterborough, was charged on Monday with ten counts of attempted murder. He was due to appear at Peterborough Magistrates Court the same day. The other man was released with no further action.
Cambridgeshire Police received the first 999 calls at 7.39 p.m. from passengers on board. The British Transport Police were alerted shortly afterwards. The train then made an unscheduled stop at Huntingdon station — about 15 minutes by rail from Peterborough — after the driver contacted the control room from his cab.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Bishop Winter said: “Our prayers in churches everywhere this Sunday, and especially in Huntingdon, have been with all those affected by the deeply distressing Cambridgeshire train attack last night. We pray especially for those who have been injured, those in hospital, their family and friends, and we thank the emergency services and all those who are caring for victims of that appalling violence.
“Our prayers are an expression of love and commitment to what is good and right, an expression of hope in a God who is stronger than violence and darkness, and a commitment to living in a way where all human life is cherished.”
All Saints’, Huntingdon, in the diocese of Ely, also posted a message of support on Facebook. “We are deeply saddened by the tragic incident that took place on the train, which then stopped in Huntingdon yesterday. Our prayers are with all those injured, or affected in any way, and with everyone in our community who is feeling shaken or distressed.
“We are grateful for the swift response of all those working in the emergency services, and our prayers are with them today also.” The church would remain open for prayer and reflections, the message said.
No victims have yet been named. By Sunday evening, five people had been discharged from hospital. One remains in a “life-threatening” condition. The Police report that this casualty was a member of LNER rail staff who was on the train at the time and attempted to stop the attacker.
“Detectives have reviewed the CCTV from the train and it is clear his actions were nothing short of heroic and undoubtedly saved many people’s lives.”