Huntingdon train stabbing latest: Man charged also accused of separate London attack earlier that day

Anthony Williams, 32, has just appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court.

Williams, of Peterborough has been charged with 10 counts of attempted murder over the mass stabbing on a London-bound train on Saturday.

He was remanded in custody during the short hearing.

The Independent’s travel correspondent Simon Calder reports:

CCTV cameras are standard onboard trains, but passengers are especially vulnerable to attackers while travelling at 125mph in a confined space.

Currently the only pre-boarding check for passengers happens at London St Pancras International, with all Eurostar passengers and their baggage checked before departure to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam. This is because the Channel Tunnel is perceived to be a key terrorist target.

For trains within the UK, British Transport Police patrol trains and stations, but the force has fewer than 3,000 officers – on a network with five million journeys a day. The BTP says patrols will be stepped up in the next few days.

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said passengers would see “a high visibility presence” of police at railway stations and on trains on Sunday “to reassure the public”.

Rail firms will consider increasing the number of security staff on trains. There are likely to be calls for airport-style security checks before boarding trains. But given the sheer number of travellers and the constraints at stations, that seems impractical.

On the same evening as the Huntingdon train knife attack, I watched a group of kids at a major railway station chanting ‘Rule Britannia’ and shoving strangers, says Victoria Richards.

Following a spate of unprovoked stabbings, and with groups hellbent on stirring up racial tensions, I’m starting to fear the worst for our country:

Tracy Easton, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Direct, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has decided to prosecute Anthony Williams with 10 counts of attempted murder, one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and 1 count of possession of a bladed article – following a police investigation into an incident on a LNER train from Doncaster to London on Saturday 01 November 2025.

“Our team of out-of-hours prosecutors worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring the case to trial and it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings.

“We worked closely with British Transport Police to review a huge volume of evidence including CCTV. The number of charges will be kept under review as this continues to progress.

“We know the devastating impact the events on Saturday’s train has had and how the incident shocked the entire country. Our thoughts remain with all those effected.”

Anthony Williams, 32, has been charged following the attacks on the LNER service from Doncaster to London King’s Cross on Saturday evening, British Transport Police said.

He is also charged in connection to another incident in the early hours of the same day.

He has been charged with another count of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article in connection with an attack on a train at Pontoon Dock DLR station in east London.

A victim suffered facial injuries after being attacked with a knife.

Defence Secretary John Healey has praised the “swift” response of police officers as a man was charged over a mass stabbing on a busy train in Cambridgeshire.

Speaking in Uxbridge, west London, on Monday, he said: “I think the response of the emergency services was swift. The launch of the investigation was swift.

“Quite rightly, the reports to the public on the early assessments and the conclusion, giving the public as much information as the police could as soon as they could, was quite right and this is the latest development in that.

“And if the police have got more to say, they’ll let us know.”

Asked about Kemi Badenoch’s comments that the attack shows there is “clearly something going wrong with our society”, Mr Healey said: “I don’t see that that helps anyone in the situation of coming to terms with that horrific attack on Saturday night.

“I’d rather she talked about the extraordinary response of the train crew, the passengers, the emergency services, all of whom responded in quite a heroic way to what was a very serious attack which could have been so much worse.”

The attack began shortly after the London-bound train left Peterborough on Saturday night, causing panic as passengers fled through carriages or barricaded themselves in toilets.Eleven people were hospitalised after the attack. One, a member of LNER staff who tried to stop the attack, remains in a ‘critical but stable’ condition, while five others have since been discharged. Anthony Williams, 32, has been charged with ten counts of attempted murder and will appear in court on Monday.Huntingdon station itself remains closed, but the rail line has reopened and trains are able to pass through on their way to London A 35-year-old man from London who was also arrested at the scene has been released with no further action. Police are understood to be investigating all circumstances, including whether mental health was a factor, but it is not believed to have been a terrorist incident.

Anthony Williams, 32, from Peterborough has been charged after a mass stabbing attack on a London-bound train on Saturday.

Williams, from Langford Road, Peterborough, will appear at Peterborough Magistrates on Monday morning, police said.

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