Nottingham attacks: What we know so far

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A picture of the van the man was arrested inImage source, Reuters
Image caption,
Pictures of a white Vauxhall Vivaro van with a dent in its front have emerged

Three people have died and another three injured following a series of attacks in the UK city of Nottingham early on Tuesday morning.

There is still a lot we do not know, and we are trying to pull together a clear picture of how things unfolded as details emerge.

Here is what we know so far.

What happened?

Two students, both aged 19, were found stabbed to death in Ilkeston Road, west of Nottingham's city centre, just after 04:00 BST.

In another incident, around 05:30, the driver of a stolen van attempted to run over three people in Milton Street in the city centre. All three were taken to hospital.

Police said they then stopped the van in Maples Street where a man was Tasered and arrested.

A man in his 50s was also found dead from knife injuries in Magdala Road, about a five-minute drive away.

Police believe the suspect stole the man's van before heading to Milton Street where he then drove into people.

Police are linking all three deaths.

A 31-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in police custody.

Very little information has been publicly released about the suspect but the BBC understands he is a West African migrant with a history of mental health problems.

What do we know about the victims?

The two 19-year-olds killed in Ilkeston Road were students at the University of Nottingham. Police have not officially named them but one has been named locally as Barnaby Webber.

The man found dead in Magdala Road was in his 50s. He has not been named.

Of those injured in Milton Street by the van, one man was in a critical condition and the other two were believed to have minor injuries, police said.

One eyewitness, who saw a man and woman struck by a van, said: "The woman was sitting up on the kerb - she looked OK. The man was laying down but then he got up.

"But I just can't believe he was able to get up."

Police said the victims' families have been informed and were being supported.

Image source, Unknown
Image caption,
Barnaby Webber was a student at the University of Nottingham and a keen cricketer

What are eyewitnesses saying?

  • Some readers may find the details below distressing

Lynn Haggitt witnessed the van being driven into two people in Milton Street.

She said she saw the driver look in his mirror and see a police car behind him. At that point, he "quickened up" before going "straight into" them, she said.

"The woman went on the kerb and the man went up in the air," she said. "It was such a bang - I wish I never saw it - it's really shaken me up.

"I went over. Perhaps I shouldn't have gone over, but I wanted to see if I could help."

Media caption,

Nottingham attack eyewitness: 'I wish I never saw it'

Another eyewitness said he saw a young man and young woman stabbed in Ilkeston Road at about 04:00 BST.

The man, who asked to remain anonymous, said he looked out of the window and saw a "guy dressed all in black with a hood and rucksack grappling with some people. It was a girl, and a man or boy she was with - they looked quite young.

"She was screaming 'help!' I just wish I'd shouted something out of the window to unnerve the assailant.

"I saw him stab the lad first and then the woman. It was repeated stabbing - four or five times. The lad collapsed in the middle of the road."

The man said he phoned 999 and police arrived within five minutes. Paramedics spent 40 minutes trying to revive the pair, he added.

What's the police response been?

Police said the investigation was in its early stages and they needed to work out the motive behind the attacks.

They said they were keeping an "open mind" and working alongside counter-terrorism police, as would normally be the case for an incident like this.

Police were supported by National Inter-Agency Liaison Officers, or Nilo, a maroon-uniformed crisis response unit made up of different emergency services.

One man, arrested on suspicion of murder, remains in custody.

No other arrests have been made and the police said they were not looking for anyone else.

Police searched a number of addresses across the city throughout the day.

Image source, Reuters
Image caption,
Damage to a van is photographed by officers

Around lunchtime, armed officers raided a property in Ilkeston Road, the street where two people were earlier found dead.

In Magdala Road, where the man in his 50s was found dead, police have set up a forensics tent.

Forensic officers were also looking at a dented white Vauxhall van in Bentinck Road near the scene of the arrest.

A dedicated police phone line has been set up and anyone concerned about family or friends can call 0800 096 1011.

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