A man accused of stabbing 10 people on a train has been charged with further offences linked to the incident, police have announced.
Anthony Williams is due in court this afternoon to face a further seven offences following the mass stabbing on a train which saw it diverted to Huntingdon station in Cambridgeshire earlier this month.
Williams, 32, of Langford Road, Peterborough, has been further charged with the attempted murder of a 14-year-old boy in Peterborough city centre on October 31 and attempted grievous bodily harm of a 28-year-old man in the city on the same day.
He has also been charged with the attempted murder of a 22-year-old man near Pleasure Fair Meadow Road in the city on 31 October, affray and possession of a bladed article in connection with an incident at Ritzy Barbers in Peterborough on the same day.
Wiliams has been further charged with theft of knives from an Asda in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, on October 31 and common assault of a 31-year-old man on board a train travelling between Hitchin and Biggleswade on 31 October.
British Transport Police said these were in addition to charges already authorised in relation to the major incident on the Doncaster to London Kings Cross train at Huntingdon.
Williams appeared at Peterborough Magistrates Court earlier this month charged with ten counts of attempted murder over the train rampage which left a member of rail staff critically injured.
Samir Zitouni, 48, an LNER customer host was credited with ‘acting as a shield’ to save ‘multiple lives’.
Anthony Williams, 32, from Peterborough, will appear at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court this afternoon charged with seven further offences
LNER staff member Samir Zitouni ‘acted as a shield’ to save passengers
Mr Zitouni, known as Sam, suffered multiple injuries but was discharged from hospital a fortnight after the attack.
Williams was also previously charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm and one charge of possession of a bladed article following the incident on an LNER train on November 1.
The suspect was further charged with another count of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article in connection to an alleged attack at the Pontoon Dock station on London’s Docklands Light Railway in the early hours of that morning.
A victim is alleged to have suffered a facial injury in that incident.
The train attack saw brave train staff and passengers intervene in a bid to stop the alleged attacker as he went through the train with a knife. The train made an unscheduled stop at Huntingdon station in Cambridgeshire, where the suspect was arrested.
Williams is due to appear before Peterborough Magistrates again this afternoon.
A forensic officer inspects the London North Eastern Railway (LNER) train after the incident
Following the incident at Huntingdon, British Transport Police (BTP) took primacy on a wider investigation into Williams and the events leading up to what happened on the train.
BTP Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Cundy said: ‘These are a significant set of new charges. Our investigation into the awful incident at Huntingdon has also focused on other offences previously reported to police or identified by our investigation.
‘We have worked closely with our colleagues in Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Police alongside the Crown Prosecution Service to bring these charges.
‘I would once again like to stress the importance of not saying or publishing anything which might jeopardise or prejudice ongoing criminal proceedings, or the integrity of the investigation.’
Following his release from hospital, Mr Zitouni’s family said in a statment: ‘We are so grateful for the outpouring of support from the public, and very touched by all the kind words about Sam’s brave actions on the night of the attack.
‘While we are really happy to have him home, he still has a significant recovery ahead and we would now like to be left in privacy to care for him as a family.’
The Huntingdon attack saw brave train staff and passengers intervene in a bid to stop the alleged attacker as he went through the train with a knife.
The suspect is understood to have boarded the train at Peterborough before allegedly rampaging through the moving train.
Passengers ran through the carriages, barricading themselves in toilets and behind the shutters of the onboard shop in the buffet car in a bid to protect themselves.
Driver Andrew Johnson – a veteran of the second Gulf War – frantically worked with Network Rail staff to arrange for the LNER Azuma to make an emergency stop at Huntingdon station in Cambridgeshire.
Police on the scene at Huntingdon train station in Cambridgeshire on the evening of November 1
Hero driver Andrew Johnson (pictured) had seconds to make the decision to divert the London-bound train to Huntingdon station after being alerted to the mass stabbing
As the train pulled into the station, cool-headed railway staff ushered passengers hurriedly down the platform as the suspect followed closely behind.
The alleged attacker, still brandishing a knife, crossed the railway tracks and leapt over a fence before being subdued by police.
Nine of the 11 injured people were left fighting for their lives – with five people discharged from hospital as of last night.
Mr Zitouni suffered the most egregious injuries trying to defend fellow passengers from the attacker.
