Huntingdon train driver who saved lives after quick thinking breaks his silence & dubs his colleagues the ‘real heroes’
LNER staff alerted passengers through a tannoy system
THE heroic Huntingdon train driver who saved lives with his quick thinking has broken his silence after the horror.
Andrew Johnson, from Peterborough, made an emergency stop at Huntingdon station just minutes after being alerted to the stabbing rampage.
A LNER staff member who tried to stop the attacker remains in critical conditionCredit: AFP
Andrew Johnson, from Peterborough, diverted the London-bound train to Huntingdon stationCredit: Unknown
Footage showing a man believed to be Anthony Williams allegedly wielding a knife in a barbershop before the Huntingdon train rampage
His quick thinking allowed armed police to respond and saved lives, as reported by the Telegraph.
It’s understood the train was due to go past Huntingdon station on a fast track that doesn’t stop at the platform.
But brave LNER staff had alerted passengers through a tannoy system and Andrew worked with signallers to divert the train.
Andrew has now spoken out and hailed his colleagues as the “real heroes”.
“As train drivers, we hold a lot of responsibility. We practise our emergency response and keep up to date with our knowledge of the route, so if needed, we know exactly where to stop and what to do,” the brave train driver said in a statement via LNER.
He continued: “The action I took is the same as any other driver. I think my colleagues onboard were the real heroes and I’d like to pay tribute to their bravery.”
David Horne, Managing Director at LNER, commended Andrew’s live-saving actions.
He said: “Andrew’s actions are testament to the expertise and skills he has built over his career, both on the railway and in the military. The intensive training undertaken by our drivers means they are always ready to respond in any situation.
“We’re grateful to Andrew, our onboard colleagues, the signaller, and the station team at Huntingdon, for their actions on Saturday. Our thoughts remain with our colleague in hospital.”
Andrew has worked as a train driver since 2018, after undergoing more than 300 hours of classroom and practical training.
He also served in the Royal Navy for 17 years and was deployed to Iraq in 2003 during the second Gulf War.
The veteran is understood to have worked on a ship clearing mines in the Tigris river.
A neighbour said of Andrew: “He’s a nice guy. I’ve known him for a while.
“If he did the right thing and stopped the train, that’s a massive thing and he’s probably helped save some people’s lives.
“It’s a pretty bold thing to do. You don’t know what’s going on [in the carriage] if you’re a train driver.”
An Aslef trade union officer said on Sunday evening that Andrew was “shaken up” but did “exactly the right thing”.
Nigel Roebuck, who leads negotiations with LNER, told Sky News he’s “getting a great level of support”.
He continued: “He’s good. He was clearly shaken up and obviously we didn’t get too into detail about things.
“It sounds as if he did exactly the right thing when the emergency developed in that he didn’t stop the train in the middle of two stations where it’s obviously difficult for the emergency services to reach, but he carried on going until he got to Huntingdon.”
Cops have now charged 32-year-old Anthony Williams with 10 counts of attempted murder after the stabbing rampage on Saturday night.
Multiple passengers were rushed to hospital, including Joshua Gjoshe a footballer for Scunthorpe United.
More than 30 officers, including armed police, raced to Huntingdon station at 7.44pm after the train from Doncaster to Kings Cross made an emergency stop.
Armed cops raced to the scene on Saturday nightCredit: Story Picture Agency
A 32-year-old British man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murderCredit: Story Picture Agency
Stephen Crean faced the attacker on his rampage through the train carriageCredit: PA
It has also emerged Williams faces charges for another count of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article in relation to an incident on London‘s DLR network in the early hours of Saturday morning.
A victim suffered facial injuries after being attacked with a knife on a DLR train at Pontoon Dock just before 1am, cops said.
Williams was later identified as the suspect said British Transport Police.
Chilling footage was later released which shows the moment alleged Huntingdon attacker Williams wields a huge knife in a barber shop the day before Saturday’s bloody train horror.
What we know so far:
Moment Knifeman shown swaggering down platform as passengers sprint away
British-born Anthony Williams, 32, charged in connection with train attack
Williams pictured and charged in relation to separate knife incident on DLR train in London
Professional footballer among 11 stabbed in train attack
Chilling moment suspect bursts into barbershop the day before alleged Huntingdon rampage
Police say boy, 14, stabbed in “linked incident” before LNER train attack
The CCTV video shows the alleged knifeman on Friday evening – less than 24 hours before the train attack.
Cambridgeshire Police said a knifeman entered a barbers in Fletton at 7.25pm on Friday but was not reported until 9.10pm – and at the time had left the scene so officers were not sent.
A 14-year-old boy was also stabbed by a man in the city centre at 7.10pm on Friday.
The teenager was taken to Peterborough City Hospital with minor injuries and were later discharged.
Then, at 9.25am on Saturday the same barbers reported the man had returned, with officers arriving “within 18 minutes” and after a search couldn’t find him.
Cops have today confirmed all three knife incidents are believed to be linked to the Huntingdon suspect.
Williams will appear at Peterborough Magistrates Court today following the horror in Cambridgeshire.
This comes as a passenger who was attacked while protecting others during the mass train stabbing on Saturday, revealed today he was told by the knifeman “do you want to die?”.
Stephen Crean, 61, a lifelong Nottingham Forest fan, approached the attacker with nothing but his fists as other passengers fled.
The courageous fan was returning from watching Nottingham Forest draw 2-2 with Manchester United, when the attack happened.
Mr Crean said he was stabbed six times before he managed to lock himself in a train bathroom until the armed police arrived on the scene.
The football fan said when he got up from his seat and approached the attacker, protecting people was his motivation.
When he confronted the attacker, the knifeman asked him “do you want to die?” said Mr Crean
Meanwhile, another passenger told how she cheated death after the attacker came at her with a knife and pledged: “The devil’s not going to win.”
Dayna Arnold, 48, was sat in the same train carriage as the attacker after boarding at Peterborough with her partner Andy Gray, 37.
Full Huntingdon horror timeline
Friday, October 31
7.10pm: Friday 31: Boy, 14, is stabbed in Peterborough city centre
7.25pm: ‘Knifeman’ bursts into barbers in Fletton
Saturday, November 1
1am: Separate incident at Pontoon Dock DLR
9.25am: ‘Knifeman’ enters barbers again
6.25pm: Train heading to King’s Cross London departs from Doncaster
7.29pm: Train departs Peterborough station and knife attack begins soon after
7.39pm: Cambridge Police receives distress calls of multiple stabbings onboard a train
7.42pm: British Transport Police records its first call and dispatches officers
7.44pm: Train makes emergency stop at Huntingdon station
7.50pm Within eight minutes of the call to BTP, two suspects are apprehended by armed officers
8.47pm: BTP announce on X that two people were arrested
Sunday, November 2
Police confirm one of those arrested was released with no further action
Monday, November 3
Anthony Williams, 32, charged with 10 counts of attempted murder, one count of actual bodily harm and one count of possession of bladed article after Huntingdon horror.
Staff at the nearby Wetherspoon pub Sandford House let her and Andy stay overnight for free before catching a bus home.
His jumper was still covered in blood stains after using his trouser belt to stop a young man from bleeding to death on the horror train.
Fellow eye witness Olly Foster said he heard passengers shout “run, run” as carnage broke out.
He told the BBC: “There were a few of us kind of looking at each other, thinking was it a joke – like, it’s Halloween, they might be pranking.
“But then you could kind of see in their faces they were running.
“There was a girl, bless her, who was really, really in a bit of a state because the guy actually tried to stab her – and one of the older guys who was an absolute hero blocked it with his head.”
Counter Terrorism Policing were called in to support the ongoing probe.
The force declared a “major incident” and at one stage declared “Plato”, the national code word used by police and emergency services when responding to a “marauding terror attack”.
However, British Transport Police Superintendent John Loveless told a briefing on Sunday morning that there is nothing to suggest the stabbings were a terrorist incident – with Defence Secretary John Healey earlier saying it is believed to have been an “isolated attack”.
David Horne, managing director of LNER, said: “We are deeply shocked and saddened by yesterday’s incident and our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected, particularly our colleague who remains in a life-threatening condition, and their family.
“I would like to thank the emergency services for their quick and professional response and the care they provided to those injured.
“I would also like to recognise the driver, crew and our operational response colleagues for their bravery and quick actions.
“This is a deeply upsetting incident. Over the coming days we will continue to co-operate with the authorities involved and will do everything we can to support our customers and colleagues during this very difficult time.”
Shocking footage from a barbershop on Friday is circulating on social media
CCTV from outside the barbershop
One victim remains in hospital fighting for their lifeCredit: Bav Media
The train made an emergency stop at Huntingdon station at 7.44pmCredit: Getty
Overhead view of the station as cops and emergency services rushed to the sceneCredit: Bav Media
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