Teenager arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after London train stabbing
British Transport Police have also recovered a knife.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A 19-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a stabbing on a train in south London.
British Transport Police (BTP) said they received reports of two men fighting between Beckenham and Shortlands railway station shortly before 4pm on Wednesday.
Footage shared on social media showed a male wearing a black hooded jacket, black trousers and a face mask holding a large blade, while onlookers could be heard telling him to stop.
A manhunt was launched and on Thursday BTP said they had arrested a 19-year-old man and recovered a knife.
The victim, who is in his 20s, was taken to hospital and is in a “critical but stable condition”.
Train services in the area were disrupted until around 6.30pm.
Superintendent Darren Malpas said: “We understand the concerns of the public following this incident and our detectives have been working tirelessly to investigate. I hope this arrest will bring some reassurance to those on the rail network.”
At just after 10.30pm on Wednesday, BTP also received reports of a man being stabbed on a platform at Kennington underground station, nearly nine miles away from the earlier incident, which is not believed to be linked.
Another man is thought to have been injured trying to stop the attack.
Both were taken to hospital and are in a critical but stable condition.
The suspect had left the area and no arrests have been made.