A knifeman who reportedly stabbed a rail passenger in front of his wife in southeast London shouted "I want to kill me a Muslim", according to a witness.

One man had to be taken to hospital after the attack at Forest Hill station at around lunchtime on Monday.

Witness Richard Etienne was on the way back from a job interview when he saw a man wearing a black jacket and black gloves walking through the train.

He said the man was shouting "I'm going to kill me a Muslim, I'm going to kill me a Muslim" as he scanned the seats.

"He looked at a woman sat opposite me who was wearing a hijab and that's when he turned and faced her," Mr Etienne said.


"I could see a knife in his hand, the blade (was) about five inches long.

"That's when he shouts, 'I don't want me a Muslim woman, I want me a Muslim man'."

Someone literally just been stabbed at Forest Hill station. Major major po pos. Horrific. #SE23 #foresthill — Alingtron (@alingtron) December 12, 2016

Mr Etienne said the man walked further down the train before it went "eerily quiet".

"Then there was a scream and about three or four men jumped towards the scream. At that point everyone in the front two carriages moved with haste towards my car," he said.

When the train reached Forest Hill, Mr Etienne said he saw a woman in a hijab come onto the platform "wailing" and with "blood on her hands".

He added that the man was now on the platform, shouting: "I am the anti-Christ, you don't have to worry, I am going to kill me a Muslim."

Witnesses described the "horrific" attack and its aftermath on Twitter.

"The perpetrator is currently ranting on the streets. Beware," one wrote.

Another tweeted: "#foresthill The attacker shouted "Who is Muslim, I want to kill a Muslim", approached the guy sitting with his wife on the 1st carriage."

Shellby Curry, 24, was with her one-year-old child when she saw a man "waving what looked to be a knife in his hand" near the station and screaming words like "Muslims f****** hate them, kill them all".

"I was walking along and someone stopped and said, 'Be careful, he's got a knife'.

"As I looked around there he was. I just grabbed my baby and ran across the road. Looking back (I saw) him marching up and down waving his arm about."

A massacre in #foresthill station a man shouting who is Muslim i want to kill a muslim stabs several times a Muslim passenger, no reason — Met-Kastrati (@KastratiMet) December 12, 2016 #foresthill The attacker shouted " Who is Muslim, I want to kill a Muslim approached the guy sitting with his wife on the 1st carriage — Met-Kastrati (@KastratiMet) December 12, 2016

Miguel Oliveira, 36, said he came face-to-face with the attacker, who he described as "shouting uncontrollably".

"He was walking towards me and he was shouting stuff like 'Death to Muslims' and 'Go back to Syria'," he said.

British Transport Police said the incident was not being treated as "terrorism-related".

A spokeswoman said officers were sent to the station after reports of a serious assault at 1.18pm.

"One person has been arrested following the incident and is currently in police custody," she said.