King Charles hosted six heroes at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday evening to personally thank them for their exceptional bravery during a violent train stabbing attack on November 1. The special reception honored members of the public and railway staff who intervened when a man attacked passengers on a London-bound service.
Among those recognized was railway worker Samir Zitouni, who blocked the suspect and is credited with saving multiple lives. He sustained serious head and neck injuries during the confrontation. British Transport Police described his actions as «nothing short of heroic».
Train driver Andrew Johnson, who previously served 17 years in the Royal Navy, requested an unscheduled stop at Huntingdon station during the attack. The emergency stop allowed police to access the train and apprehend the suspect.
Stephen Crean was stabbed in the hand while attempting to disarm the attacker. Doctors told him his injured hand is unlikely to ever fully recover. He said he has «no regrets» about intervening.
Also honored were Christina Jones, Michael Gawthorpe and Kevin Deeley. Each attendee brought a guest to the palace reception, which was also attended by Chief Constable Lucy D'Orsi of British Transport Police.
The attack
The stabbings occurred on the 18:25 service as it left Peterborough. Multiple 999 calls prompted the diversion to Huntingdon station. At least 10 people were seriously injured. Eleven people were treated at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge and have since been discharged.
Anthony Williams, 32, from Peterborough, faces 10 counts of attempted murder, one count of actual bodily harm and one count of possession of a bladed article relating to the train incident. He is also charged with another count of attempted murder and possession of a knife over an incident at Pontoon Dock Docklands Light Railway station in east London earlier the same day.
Williams faces seven more offences relating to incidents the day before the train stabbings. He refused to attend a short hearing at Cambridge Crown Court via video-link on December 1 and remains in custody.
His next court hearing is scheduled for January 28 at Cambridge Crown Court. A provisional trial date has been set for June next year.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
