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'Heroic' worker praised as man charged over UK train stabbings / Photo: © AFP
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'Heroic' worker praised as man charged over UK train stabbings
A man has been charged with 10 counts of attempted murder following a mass stabbing on a London-bound train, as a critically wounded train worker was hailed Monday as a hero for stepping in to protect passengers.
"He went in to do his job and he left work a hero. And there are people who are alive today because of his actions and his bravery," Transport Minister Heidi Alexander said.
Alexander also praised the train's driver, whose quick thinking ensured it was able to make an unscheduled emergency stop at Huntingdon in central England that allowed passengers to escape the train.
Transport police said the suspected attacker, Anthony Williams, 32, also faced a separate attempted murder charge over another incident at a train station in London hours earlier Saturday.
He appeared in court Monday and was remanded in custody.
The charges follow Saturday's knife rampage in which 10 people were injured, including the train company employee who remains in hospital in a critical but stable condition.
The train had been travelling from northern England to London's King's Cross Station at about 7:40 pm (1940 GMT) on Saturday.
Passengers told of seeing victims with stab wounds fleeing through the train warning others to escape.
- 'Heroic' -
Chief investigation officer Stuart Cundy also paid tribute to the injured train company employee.
"Having viewed the CCTV from the train, the actions of the member of rail staff were nothing short of heroic and undoubtedly saved people's lives," he said.
Four other people remained in hospital though their condition was not life-threatening.
Alexander said there would be an increase in visible police patrols on trains in coming days to reassure the public.
The incident had been "absolutely horrific" but the UK rail network was generally among the "safest forms of public transport anywhere in the world", she told Sky News.
The arrested man was not known to counter-terrorism police or the security services, she added.
Williams faces 10 counts of attempted murder, one of actual bodily harm and one of possession of a knife, said Tracy Easton of the Crown Prosecution Service.
Following an earlier incident at a train station in east London in the early hours of Saturday, he also faces another charge of attempted murder and possessing a knife.
"We know the devastating impact the events on Saturday's train has had and how the incident shocked the entire country," Easton said, adding that "Our thoughts remain with all those affected."
P. Gomes--JDB
