Police have confirmed three people were killed, and another three were injured, after a knife-wielding attacker went on a shocking early morning rampage in Nottingham on Tuesday.
The people killed have been named as Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19-year-old Nottingham University students, and Ian Coates, a school caretaker in his 60s,
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A man was later arrested in connection with the incidents. Here’s everything we know.
How did the attacks play out?
The attacks occurred in at least three different places and the suspect was arrested in a fourth location, and took place over 90 minutes.
A man stabbed the two students to death on Ilkeston Road just after 4am.
He then fatally stabbed the man in his 60s on Magdala Road, more than a mile away, stole his van and ran down three pedestrians on Milton Street shortly afterwards.
One man is in a critical condition with the two others believed to have suffered minor injuries.
The van was stopped on Maple Street, where a man was tasered and detained by police officers.
In between the attacks, police believe the suspect tried to enter a care home after stabbing the students, but was refused entry by residents.
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What did witnesses see?
Witnesses gave harrowing accounts of the attacks, with one telling the BBC he heard “awful, blood-curdling screams” and saw a man “dressed all in black with a hood and rucksack grappling with some people”.
Some described a horrifying scene in the city centre about 90 minutes after the initial attack when the van ran into pedestrians at a street corner and then fled.
Lynn Haggitt was on her way to work when a white van pulled up beside her at 5.30am. She saw the driver look in his mirror and spot a police car approaching slowly from behind without its lights on. The driver then accelerated and struck a man and woman at a street corner, she said.
“He went straight into them, he didn’t even bother to turn,” Haggitt told reporters according to The Associated Press. “The woman went on the curb, the man went up in the air, there was such a bang, I wish I never saw it, it’s really shaken me up.”
Kane Brady, a student at the University of Nottingham, said he awoke to shouts of “armed police” and heard what sounded like a gunshot outside.
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He said he saw officers holding stun guns and a man being dragged out of the van and pinned on the ground.
“I saw him getting arrested, him trying to resist,” he told GB News. “When they opened the van, I saw a large knife being pulled out and then straight away that’s when police closed off both roads.”
Photos showed the hood of the van dented and cracks in the windshield.
What do we know about the assailant?
Nottinghamshire Police said a 31-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder and that they believe he acted alone.
Police confirmed they are not looking for anyone else in connection with the attacks.
They are keeping an “open mind” as to what the motives behind the attacks were and are working with counter-terrorism investigators to establish what happened.
Zac GoodwinZac Goodwin/PA Wire
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What do we know about the victims?
Barnaby Webber’s parents, David and Emma, and his younger brother Charlie, released a statement through the PA news agency.
It said: “Complete devastation is not enough to describe our pain and loss at the senseless murder of our son.”
They described him as “a beautiful, brilliant, bright young man, with everything in life to look forward to”, and a “talented and passionate cricketer”, adding: “At 19 he was just at the start of his journey into adulthood and was developing into a wonderful young man.”
The parents said they are “enormously proud” of his achievements, while his brother is “bereft beyond believe”, while asking for privacy to process and grieve.
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A statement from Grace O’Malley-Kumar’s family, released through Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Grace was an adored daughter and sister; she was a truly wonderful and beautiful young lady.”
Referencing her younger brother, the statement added: “Grace was not just a sister to James but his best friend. He is completely heartbroken. As parents, words cannot explain our complete and utter devastation. She will be so dearly missed.”
The family said: “We were so incredibly proud of Grace’s achievements and what a truly lovely person she was.
“She was resilient and wise beyond her years. Grace was so happy in life fulfilling her ambition of studying to become a doctor whilst playing topflight hockey at university.”
They added that extended family and friends are also “devastated”, and that they request privacy to “face this sorrow”.
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Jacob KingJacob King/PA Wire
At a vigil in the city on Wednesday, the heartbroken fathers of the two university students gave emotional speeches.
Grace’s father, Sanjoy Kumar, told crowds “you need to love everyone” with the hand of Barnaby’s dad, David Webber, on his shoulder.
He said: “The love that we have out here, I just wish we had it everywhere. So, look after each other is the big thing.
“Look after your friends and look after people around you. It is so important.”
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Ian Coates’ sons, Lee and James, spoke to reporters outside the crime scene and said their father was due to retire in four months.
Lee said: “If we had to think about it, he’d be lying in a bed with us holding his hand, him dying naturally in 20 to 30 years’ time.”
His brother added: “Not dying on a street because some guy decided it’s not his day today.”
They added that the news “rocked everyone’s world”, as their father was “everyone’s friend, always willing to help”.
“Nobody deserves this but he definitely didn’t. None of them did, it’s a tragedy,” James said.
What have the police said?
Nottinghamshire Police chief constable Kate Meynell confirmed officers had carried out searches at a number of properties around the city – with cordons seen being put up on various sections of Ilkeston Road.
At a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, she said: “We are still in the early stages of the investigation. I need to determine exactly what the motives were behind this attack.
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“We are keeping an open mind and are working closely with counter-terrorism policing to establish the facts as we would normally do in this type of circumstance.
“The families of all the victims have been informed and are being supported by specially-trained officers.”
