Police are looking into four incidents alleged to have happened in the 24 hours leading up to the mass stabbing attack on a train near Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire.
Anthony Williams, 32, has been charged with 10 counts of attempted murder after several people were stabbed on an LNER train from Doncaster to London on Saturday evening.
Williams is also charged with one count of attempted murder at London’s Pontoon Dock DLR station in the early hours of Saturday – where a victim suffered facial injuries after being attacked with a knife.
The stabbing of a 14-year-old boy in Peterborough and two reports of a knifeman at a barber’s shop in the city are also being investigated as part of the police probe into the LNER train attack.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the public will have “many unanswered questions” about what events led up to mass stabbing on board the LNER train.
Was Williams linked to stabbing 24 hours before train attack?
The police investigation into the train attack will look at three incidents in Peterborough – the stabbing of the teenage boy and two sightings of a man with a knife at the barber’s shop.
A 14-year-old boy was non-fatally injured in Peterborough city centre at 7:10pm on Friday evening. A man with a knife was seen at a barber’s shop in the Fletton area of Peterborough 15 minutes later – though this was only reported to Cambridgeshire Police two hours later.
A second report of a knifeman was made at the same barbers in Fletton at 9:25am on Saturday morning – but when Cambridgeshire Police arrived 18 minutes later they could not find him.
Police investigators in Huntingdon, where LNER train stopped and attacker was arrested (Photo: Stringer/Getty)We know police are now examining any possible link between the LNER train attack and these earlier incidents. Cambridgeshire Police said it was “reviewing all incidents in the timeframe to understand whether there were any further potential offences”.
However, they said that the British Transport Police (BTP) would “retain primacy for the overall investigation, which will include these three incidents”.
A BTP spokesperson said: “We are treating the two incidents in barber shops as linked and making enquiries into the one involving the 14-year-old.”
How was Williams able to travel from London to Peterborough after DLR attack?
Williams is also charged with one count of attempted murder over an incident at London’s Pontoon Dock DLR station in the early hours of Saturday – where a victim was attacked with a knife.
Isaiah Ishmael Idris suffered facial injuries when he was attacked with a knife at the station in east London at 12:46am on Saturday.
There are questions about how Williams was able to flee London and travel back to Peterborough station – where he boarded the LNER train shortly before the mass stabbing occurred at 7:30pm.
The BTP is believed to have identified Williams after finding his image on the Police National Database.
A BTP spokesperson said: “Police subsequently identified Williams as a suspect [in the DLR station attack] and took steps to locate and arrest him.”
What was the motive for the train attack?
Any possible motivations for the mass stabbing attack on the LNER train are not clear. Police quickly ruled out a terrorist incident, after initially declaring “Plato” – the code word for a “marauding terror attack”.
Williams was not known to the security services or counter-terrorism policing, and had not been referred to the Government’s anti-extremism scheme Prevent, Mahmood told MPs on Monday.
Questions have been raised about whether Williams had a history of mental health issues.
Stephen Crean sustained multiple injuries in the train attack (Photo: PA)Injured passenger Stephen Crean said he was asked “do you want to die?” before he was repeatedly stabbed by the suspected train attacker. Crean, 61, said he felt he “didn’t have much choice” but to fight back, as he defended himself with nothing but his fists.
There were 13 casualties in total from the LNER train attack – eight of whom remain in hospital, Mahmood told the Commons. A LNER staff member is in a critical but stable condition in hospital.
The Home Secretary paid tribute to the “breath-taking bravery” of those on the train, including a “hero” staff member who put himself in harm’s way to confront the attacker.
Williams has been remanded into custody to appear at Cambridge Crown Court on 1 December.
Police won’t be investigated by watchdog
Cambridgeshire Police referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) – the watchdog that investigates complaints and conduct matters – after the train attack.
However, the IPOC said it would not be investigating as “it did not meet the criteria for a valid referral”.
An IOPC spokesperson said: “There was no indication of direct or indirect police contact with any of the people seriously injured in the incident.”
“We have advised the force that if any conduct matters are identified for any officers or staff, then this should be referred to us.”
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