Subject: Please recognise my friend and colleague, Samir Zitouni and the brave LNER crew of 1Y90

Dear MPs

I’m writing from the heart as both a friend and colleague of Samir Zitouni (Sam), who works for London North Eastern Railway (LNER), to ask for your help in recognising his incredible bravery and that of the rest of the train crew after the horrific incident on 1st November 2025.

That night, Samir was working on the 18:25 service from Doncaster to London King’s Cross when a violent mass stabbing happened between Peterborough and Huntingdon. In the middle of that chaos, Samir didn’t hesitate. He put himself between the attacker and the passengers, doing everything he could to protect others. The British Transport Police and passengers have all said that his actions saved lives.

Samir suffered life-threatening injuries and is still in hospital. It’s hard to put into words how proud and heartbroken we all are. But I also want to mention that other members of the LNER on board team - including the OCS cleaner were also incredibly brave that night. They’ve chosen not to be named publicly yet, but their courage and quick thinking helped keep people safe too.

I’ve known Samir for years. He’s one of those people who always goes out of his way to help others calm, kind and endlessly generous. What he did that night doesn’t surprise any of us who know him - it’s just who he is. Still, it takes an unbelievable amount of courage to act like that in such terrifying circumstances. This is not something we are trained on or can be taught. 

If you could support nominating Samir and the other LNER crew for recognition through the UK Honours system, it would mean the world to all of us who care about him and it would be a powerful way to show appreciation for ordinary people who act with such extraordinary bravery.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. I really hope you’ll consider supporting this.

Warmest regards,