A stabbing attack on a U.K. train that sent 11 people to the hospital was not an act of terrorism, British police said Sunday.
A 32-year-old British man, who has not been publicly named, was identified Sunday as the sole suspect, the BBC reported. A 35-year-old man initially arrested in the attack has since been released.
“This is a shocking incident and my thoughts are with those who have been injured and their families,” British Transport Police Superintendent John Loveless said. “There is nothing to suggest this is a terrorist incident.”
The attack began around 7:45 p.m. Saturday on a train from Doncaster to London. Witnesses said the suspect stood up, pulled out a knife and began stabbing people at random.
“It was like he had a mission to stab anyone he saw right in front of him,” passenger Amira Ostalski told the BBC. “People were getting trampled on, it was a very busy train, so people were just trying to run away from the attacker, and people were falling, and people were standing on them. It was horrible.”
The train made an emergency stop in Huntingdon, about 60 miles north of London. Cops met the train at the stop, and both the initial suspects were detained at the scene.
However, investigators said Sunday that surveillance video from the train showed only one man carrying out the attack. Of the initial 11 victims, one remained in life-threatening condition on Sunday; authorities identified him as a railroad employee who confronted 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,” British transit police told the BBC.
