Confronting the 'Possessed' Train Attacker: My Harrowing Plea for Life as He Struck Innocent Passengers

A PASSENGER has told how she cheated death after the attacker came at her with a knife and pledged: “The devil’s not going to win.”

Dayna Arnold, 48, was sat in the same as the attacker after boarding at Peterborough with her pal Andy Gray, 37.

Andy Gray boarded the train at PeterboroughCredit: The Daily Mirror Andy Gray and Dayna Arnold boarded the train togetherCredit: Phil Harris

She fell to the floor as panicked crowds surged through the aisle when he started plunging his blade into “anyone he could find”.

Site manager Dayna, from Bridlington, East , said: “I was going with the crowd but then I got knocked into some seats.

“I looked back and saw the knifeman running so I slid down to the floor. He came at me with the knife and I begged ‘please don’t’.

“Then something shifted in his face and he just carried on. I feel very fortunate to still be alive.

“Then a minute or so later he came back through, looked at me again and said ‘the devil’s not going to win’ and continued on.

“I was waiting cause I could still hear him in the carriage. I heard the doors open and ran off the train.

“I saw him take off running and then minutes later rushed past me and I saw him get tasered by the taxi rank.”

What we know so far…

• The train involved was the 6.25pm service from Doncaster to London King’s Cross – with it stopped at Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire
• Two arrests were made of men aged 32 and 35 on suspicion of attempted murder following the attack
• 10 people were injured, with two said to be fighting for their lives
• Counter terrorism police are supporting the investigation
• Witnesses described passengers screaming and others
• Defence Secretary John Healey said the early assessment is it was an “isolated attack”
• of the rampage
• The moment a suspect is in a dramatic video

Dayna described the attacker as being “quite tall with dark coloured skin” wearing dark clothing and a hat over braided shoulder length hair.

Staff at the nearby pub Sandford House let her and friend Andy stay overnight for free before catching a bus home yesterday (SUN).

His jumper was still covered in blood stains after using his trouser belt to stop a young man from bleeding to death on the horror train.

The project manager, from Peterborough, said: “We were only on the train for about five minutes when it all kicked off.

Dramatic footage shared exclusively with The Sun showed the moment one of the attackers was arrestedCredit: SWNS Forensic investigators remained on the scene this morningCredit: PA The LNER service was brought to an emergency stop at Huntingdon stationCredit: Reuters

“The attacker was at the back end of carriage J while we were at the front. We were ordering drinks and food and stuff like that.

“We just heard this sudden commotion and panic of people’s voices. I looked down and saw this huge knife plunging into people.

“I got out of the seat and grabbed Dayna to get her out but her bag strap got caught on the seat. The wall of people that were panicking swept me away and we were separated.

“A young lad there was only 19 or 20 and had been cut and stabbed really badly. He had a gash on his arm and had several puncture wounds under his arm.

“He somehow got past me and was panicking walking through saying ‘please somebody help me, I’ve been stabbed’.

“I looked and saw how bad it was. There was a lot of blood coming out and it looked like an artery bleed.

“I took my belt off to create a makeshift tourniquet and sat him down to string his arm up.

“The attacker was just stabbing anybody who he could find. I don’t know how it started or why. I only saw one guy but apparently there was two arrests.

“If we were sat at the front of that carriage, that could have been me covered in stab wounds. I couldn’t stop thinking about it all night.”

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