By Sophie Tanno, Catherine Nicholls, Lauren Kent

(CNN) — A man has been charged with 10 counts of attempted murder over a mass stabbing attack on a British train on Saturday evening that targeted passengers as they traveled through central England on their way to London.

The attack left nine people in need of treatment for life-threatening injuries, one of whom was still fighting for his life in hospital on Sunday evening, after what the British Transport Police (BTP) declared a “major incident.”

The man charged, Anthony Williams, 32, of Peterborough, was remanded in custody after appearing in court on Monday. While in court, he wasn’t asked to enter pleas and he said “no fixed abode” when he was asked about his address, according to the UK’s PA Media news agency. His next appearance in court is due to be on December 1.

He is further charged with one count of actual bodily harm and one count of possession of bladed article in connection to the mass stabbing in Cambridgeshire, according to BTP.

The man is also charged with another count of attempted murder in connection with a separate incident that happened earlier on Saturday at Pontoon Dock Station in London.

Three more incidents believed to be linked to the attacker took place in Peterborough on Friday evening and Saturday morning, according to Cambridgeshire police. One of those included a stabbing in Peterborough city center, in which a 14-year-old was hospitalized with minor injuries.

Police are working to determine a motive but previously said that there was no evidence to suggest the attacks were terror-related.

Here’s what we know about the stabbing on the train.

What happened?

The high-speed London North Eastern Railway (LNER) train departed from the northern city of Doncaster at 6:25 p.m. local time on Saturday, bound for London.

The train had just left Peterborough station in Cambridgeshire when the attack took place.

Passenger Wren Chambers told the BBC she initially “heard some screaming and shouting” coming from a carriage or two down, before a man ran down the train with a “very clear wound,” bleeding heavily from his arm.

After seeing more people running past, Chambers grabbed her bag and coat. “I got up and moved forward down the train after them, trying to get (as) far down the train as they can.”

People fled through the carriages seeking safety, with some attempting to barricade themselves in the train restrooms, said other witnesses who saw train seats soaked in blood.

Cambridgeshire police received their first emergency call at approximately 7:39 p.m. local time and immediately deployed armed officers. Within about 11 minutes of the call, two initial suspects were arrested after the train made an unplanned stop at Huntingdon station. One of those suspects was later released.

Armed police officers were seen running down the platform at the station, evacuating passengers while looking to neutralize any ongoing threat, PA Media reported.

The train remained at Huntingdon station Sunday morning, with medical equipment and other debris seen strewn on the platform.

Police had initially declared “Plato” – the national codeword when responding to a “marauding terrorist attack” – before rescinding it later.

“Our investigation is also looking at other possible linked offences,” Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Cundy of the British Transport Police said in a statement Monday.

Williams was charged with another count of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article in connection to another incident on Saturday at Pontoon Dock station in London, which is about 100 miles from Peterborough.

Who are the victims?

A total of 11 victims received treatment in hospital. Ten people were taken to the hospital by ambulance, nine of whom were in life-threatening condition, while another person later self-presented that evening.

As of Sunday evening, one person remains in hospital in life-threatening condition, BTP said. The man, an LNER staff member who was on the train, had “tried to stop the attacker,” it added.

“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,” the statement continued.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said on Monday that five people were still in the hospital, including the train crew member who is in a “critical but stable condition.”

One of the victims still in the hospital is Scunthorpe United player Jonathan Gjoshe, the soccer club said in a statement, which said he sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

Little other information has been given at this stage about other victims, including their ages.

Eyewitnesses have reported seeing people with stab wounds and heavy bleeding.

How common are such attacks in the UK?

The UK rarely sees mass casualty events and homicide rates are low compared to other Western nations.

Gun crime is particularly low, with the country recording 5,103 offenses involving firearms over this past year, according to government statistics.

In comparison, knife crime has risen overall since 2011. Some 51,527 knife crime offenses were recorded by forces in England and Wales in the previous 12 months up until June 2025, according to data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS). Of those, 15,689 were recorded in London.

British politicians and other key figures expressed their shock at Saturday’s attack and offered their condolences to victims.

“My thoughts are with all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services for their response. Anyone in the area should follow the advice of the police,” Starmer wrote on X.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she was “deeply saddened to hear about the stabbings,” and that her “thoughts go out to all those affected.”

In a statement released by Buckingham Palace, King Charles said, “My wife and I were truly appalled and shocked to hear of the dreadful knife attack that took place on board a train in Cambridgeshire last night.”

“Our deepest sympathy and thoughts are with all those affected, and their loved ones,” he added.

“We are particularly grateful to the emergency services for their response to this awful incident.”

The East Coast Main Line – on which the train was traveling – is one of the UK’s busiest and most important railway routes. It connects major cities, running from London King’s Cross to Edinburgh Waverly in Scotland.

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