The owner of a Peterborough barber shop has questioned whether a violent stabbing rampage on a train could have been prevented if police had taken his concerns more seriously.
A Terrifying Prelude
Staff at Ritzy Barbers came face-to-face with a knife-wielding man on Friday evening, 31 October 2025, just one day before a brutal attack on the 6.25pm LNER service from Doncaster to London King's Cross that left 10 people hospitalised with injuries.
Shocking CCTV footage captured the man standing outside the barber shop before entering and brandishing a knife, terrifying both staff and clients. The video shows employees frantically running toward the back of the shop to escape the armed individual.
"We didn't really comprehend until days later that we could have been victims," said Ibrahim Wanas, owner of Ritzy Barbers in Peterborough.
Delayed Police Response
Mr Wanas, who was not present during the initial incident, received a phone call from a staff member alerting him to the emergency. "I actually thought the boys were trying to wind me up because of the sort of relationship we have in the shop… and it was Halloween," he admitted.
After checking on his staff and reviewing the CCTV footage, Wanas contacted police approximately 90 minutes after the incident. However, as the suspect had already left the premises, officers did not attend until the following day - when the alleged attacker returned.
By the time Cambridgeshire Police arrived 20 minutes after being alerted to the second incident, the man had disappeared. It wasn't until Sunday, two full days after the initial report, that police finally attended in person to review the CCTV evidence.
Missed Opportunities and Lasting Trauma
"That's when I think they kind of realised that it could be the same person," Wanas stated. "I feel like we wasn't taken seriously."
The barber shop owner expressed the heavy burden his team now carries, questioning whether faster police action could have prevented the subsequent train attack. "That does weigh quite heavy on us as a team here, because we feel like if they had taken us seriously, would they have stopped the guy? And would the guy have been in custody?"
Following news of the Huntingdon train stabbing, Wanas temporarily closed his barber shop to give staff time to process the traumatic events. Although the shop has since reopened, he fears some team members will be "constantly watching over their shoulders" in what should remain a "safe haven" for men in the community.
Despite the trauma, Wanas is determined to create positive change. He's establishing the Ritzy Foundation, a project designed to help young people and build pathways into entrepreneurship, hoping his shop can serve as a catalyst for community improvement.
The British Transport Police is now investigating whether three separate incidents in Peterborough before the train attack are connected. A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Police confirmed the matter had been referred to the IOPC but did not meet the threshold for a referral, adding that their internal review continues.
