King and Queen 'truly appalled and shocked' at Huntingdon train stabbing incident

In a statement released by Buckingham Palace, the King expressed his sympathy for the victims of the horrific attack:

"My wife and I were truly appalled and shocked to hear of the dreadful knife attack that took place on board a train Cambridgeshire last night. Our deepest sympathy and thoughts are with all those affected, and their loved ones"

He also praised the response of the emergency services: "We are particularly grateful to the emergency services for their response to this awful incident -Charles R"

Read More: LIVE: Two Britons in custody as police rule out terror for train mass stabbings

Read More: MP praises 'incredible bravery' of police officers following 'tragic and shocking' mass stabbing

Armed officers boarded the train and arrested the two suspects within eight minutes of the first 999 calls from passengers, who raised the alarm at about 19:42

Of the nine people thought to have life-threatening injuries, four have been discharged, and two remain in a life-threatening condition.

British Transport Police said in a press conference that two British nationals had been arrested in relation to the incident and there was "nothing to suggest" that it was terror-related.

In a statement released on social media on Saturday, Sir Keir Starmer said: "The appalling incident on a train near Huntingdon is deeply concerning.

"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."

Ben Obese-Jecty, MP for Huntingdon, has praised the "incredible bravery" of Cambridgeshire Constabulary in their response to last night's "tragic and shocking" mass stabbing that has left nine people fighting for their lives.

He told LBC's Matthew Wright: "Credit to Cambridgeshire Constabulary - I met with the chief constable late last night and he reassured me around some of the way the response took place - the first officers on the scene were actually local response officers - the type you might see on a local Saturday night and armed police followed after - but incredible bravery from those officers for dealing with this situation."

Passengers who protected others during a knife attack on a train near Huntingdon “embody the best of Britain”, Sir Ed Davey has said.

The Liberal Democrat leader said: “I am horrified by the dreadful attack on passengers aboard the train near Huntingdon.“My thoughts are with all those affected: the victims who we are all praying will pull through, their loved ones and everyone who witnessed such a shocking event.

“At a moment of such fear and chaos, we also saw extraordinary bravery. The stories of passengers who stepped forward to protect others embody the very best of Britain, a country where ordinary people stand together in the face of danger, look out for one another, and refuse to be cowed by violence."