Authorities have formally charged 32-year-old Anthony Williams of Peterborough with 10 counts of attempted murder following Saturday evening’s stabbing spree aboard a northbound LNER train in Cambridgeshire.

The attack left 11 people injured, including veteran train worker Andy Trotter, who sustained severe wounds while shielding passengers.

Williams, who was arrested at Huntingdon station after a dramatic foot chase and taser deployment, also faces charges of actual bodily harm, two counts of possessing a bladed article, and an additional attempted murder linked to a separate stabbing in east London earlier the same day. British Transport Police confirmed that Williams had been flagged to authorities days prior over threats involving knives, but no preventive action was taken.

The incident unfolded at approximately 7:39 p.m. on the 6:25 p.m. Doncaster-to-King’s Cross service, shortly after it departed Peterborough. The train made an emergency stop at Huntingdon, where over 30 armed officers responded alongside air ambulances. An initial “Plato” terror alert was later stood down as investigators determined the attack was isolated.

Witnesses described scenes of panic and bloodshed, with passengers fleeing carriages and locking themselves in toilets. One man reportedly collapsed after shouting, “They’ve got a knife, I’ve been stabbed.” Trotter, 45, was hailed as a hero by British Transport Police Chief Superintendent Chris Casey for protecting a young girl during the assault.

Nine victims remain hospitalized, two in critical condition. A tenth suffered minor injuries. The second man arrested at the scene, aged 35, has since been released without charge.

The case has reignited national debate over rail safety and knife crime, drawing condemnation from Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who called the attack “appalling,” and praise for emergency responders from Huntingdon MP Ben Obese-Jecty.

LNER issued a “Do Not Travel” advisory following the incident, rerouting passengers by coach as services were suspended. The stabbing, which echoes the trauma of the 2023 Nottingham killings, has intensified scrutiny of public transport security amid a surge in knife-related violence this year.