I fell and said, 'Please don't kill me'. Something shifted in his face, he carried on and he said, 'The devil is not going to win'

SURVIVORS of the train knife atrocity have told how a "possessed" attacker stabbed passengers at random in what they initially believed to be a Halloween prank.

- Stephen Beech and Christian Calgie

But there was heroism amid the horror as brave passengers united in the face of evil in a bid to prevent further bloodshed.

One man was stabbed as he stood in the way of the knifeman, trying to shield a distraught girl. The hero was covered in blood after he was slashed across his neck and forehead as he protected the youngster.

Some passengers desperately attempted to administer first aid to the wounded while fearing for their own safety.

One witness told how she pleaded with the attacker to spare her, before he told her: "The devil is not going to win." Dayna Arnold, 48, had boarded towards the rear of the train with her partner Andy Gray, 37. They heard "commotion and panic" at the other end of their carriage and, as terrified passengers fled for their lives, Mr Gray was carried away by the crowd and became separated from Ms Arnold, who fell to the floor in the rush.

Ms Arnold, of Bridlington, East Yorks, said: "I was running and when I looked back I saw the knifeman running after me. I fell down and said, 'Please, don't kill me'. Something shifted in his face and he just carried on. He said, 'The devil is not going to win'." Site manager Mr Gray said: "I didn't see him but I saw the knife moving, plunging. I pushed Dayna but we were separated." He told how he came to the rescue of a young man aged "19 or 20" who had been stabbed. He said: "He had gashes on his arm and a severe puncture under his arm. There was a lot of blood coming out of him. He said, 'I've been stabbed, please help me'. It looked like an artery had been hit. I took off my belt and made a tourniquet. He was saying, 'Please call my dad, I don't want to die'." Mr Gray added: "I still have his blood on my jumper. I hope we saved his life." Another passenger told the Express how he used his T-shirt as a tourniquet to stop bleeding. The man, who gave his name as Owen, said the knifeman "looked possessed" as he walked through the carriage.