TWO people have been arrested in Farnham after a dad was stabbed to death in front of his 14-year-old son on a train in Surrey.

The 51-year-old man died after suffering multiple knife wounds during an act of "extraordinary violence" on board the 12.58pm Guildford to London Waterloo service on Friday afternoon.

According to the police, the victim, his son and the attacker all boarded the train at London Road station in Guildford at about 1pm.

However, police believe the pair were not known to each other.

Just 15 minutes later, British Transport Police (BTP) and Surrey Police were called to Horsley station at 1.15pm following reports of a serious stabbing on board the South Western Railways train.

"Tragically as a result of this stabbing, a man believed to be 51-years-old, was pronounced dead on board the train," said Superintendent Paul Langley from BTP.

He continued: "Early indications suggest he received multiple stab wounds to his body.

"Traumatically, the victims son would have been nearby when his father was fatally wounded. This would have been an horrific and hugely traumatic event to have witnessed and we are providing him with as much support as possible."

Police initially focussed their enquiries into the killing on the Clandon area where the suspect left the train.

However, BTP confirmed early on Saturday (January 5) that "at around 6am, officers attended an address in the Farnham area where the man was detained on suspicion of murder".

The suspect was earlier described as a black man, aged in his 20s to 30s, approximately 6ft tall and of slim build with a beard, believed to be dressed all in black with white trainers.

A 27-year-old woman was also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

The Herald understands the arrests took place in a block of flats near Farnham Hospital, after an eye-witness reported seeing three police cars parked outside a home near the Farnham Centre for Health early on Saturday.

TV crews and reporters from the national press have been seen in large numbers in the area since early Saturday morning.

DCI Sam Blackburn, also from BTP, said: “This is a fast moving investigation and I am pleased that overnight we were able to arrest a man following a huge amount of police enquiries.

“The investigation is moving with good progress and we are now confident to say that this is not believed to be a random assault. In the moments leading to the violent killing, both men appeared to be involved in an altercation lasting three minutes.

“Nothing justified the extraordinary violence that followed, and we are concentrating our efforts on the on-going investigation.”

The family of the 51 year old victim are being supported by specially trained family liaison officers. A post mortem examination is scheduled for early next week.

DCI Blackburn, added: “We are continuing our appeal for information and I would urge anyone who was on board the train to contact us as soon as possible. Even if you did not witness the assault, it is vitally important we speak with you. Likewise, if you have any dashcam footage of the Clandon area after 1pm yesterday afternoon, we would like to hear from you.”

You can contact BTP by sending a text to 61016 or by calling 0800 40 50 40 quoting reference 210 of 04/01/2019.