Counter-terror police are investigating and have raided two nearby homes after at least three people were stabbed to death in a string of attacks in Nottingham city centre early this morning.
Police were first called shortly after 4 am, and officers found two people dead on Ilkeston Road, lined with popular student pubs and bars.
The victims are believed to be two students – a man and a woman, aged 19 – walking home after a night out, and eye-witnesses spoke of hearing “blood-curdling screams” as the attack unfolded.
The University of Nottingham confirmed two students at the university were among the victims, and a graduation ball due to be held tonight has been cancelled.
A short time later, three people were hit by a van on nearby Milton Street, with one man left fighting for his life in hospital.
A man in his 50s was found dead on Magdala Road before a 31-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder at around 5.30 am on Bentinck Road. Police said it is believed the suspect had stolen the victim’s van and used it in the Milton Street attack.
Nottinghamshire Police confirmed counter-terror police are assisting with the investigation as at least two nearby homes were raided this afternoon. Still, detectives said they remain “open-minded” about any motive.
Police are not currently glancing for anyone else in connection with the incidents.
An eye-witness living on Ilkeston Road described hearing “blood-curdling screams” and seeing a man and woman stabbed by a man dressed in black “with a hood and rucksack grappling with some people”.
He told the BBC: “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 girl stumbled towards a house and didn’t move. The next minute she had disappeared down the side of a home, where they found her.
“It all happened within five or six minutes. The attacker walked up Ilkeston Road towards town, as calm as anything.”
The man said he called the police, who arrived within five minutes before paramedics tried to revive the pair for 40 minutes.
Man in Custody for Triple Homicide
Delivery driver Miklos Toldi, 37, said he found the victim’s body on Magdala Road as he headed to work at around 5.30 am.
He told The Telegraph: “I saw the body lying in the street. He was lying on his side, his mouth was open, and there was no movement.”
The victims have not yet been formally named. This evening, a vigil was held at St Peter’s Church in the city centre for those affected by the attacks.
One student told me: “It’s just horrible; it could have been any of us.”
Nottinghamshire Police declared a “major incident” on Tuesday morning, closing down the tram network and many roads around the city centre. In a press conference this evening, police confirmed two victims were 19-year-old students stabbed shortly after 4 am.
They said a man in his 50s was also found dead from knife injuries on Magdala Road, while police also attended reports a van had tried to run over three people, one of whom is in critical condition in hospital.
Officers said they believed the suspect had stolen the vehicle and then driven it at members of the public. A 31-year-old man has been arrested for murder and remains in police custody.
The University of Nottingham has confirmed that two of its students were killed in the incident, saying it was “shocked and devastated by the news.” Police said their investigation remained in its “early stages,” and several roads remained closed.
“Police were called to Ilkeston Road after two 19-year-olds were found stabbed shortly after 4 am,” Nottinghamshire Police Chief Constable Kate Meynell said. “Officers had a further call to Milton Street following reports a van had tried to run over three people. As a result, one man was in hospital in critical condition while others were left with minor injuries.
Investigation Underway, Suspect Charged with Murder
A witness told the BBC he saw a young man and young woman being stabbed in Ilkeston Road, close to the junction with Bright Street.
The man, who did not give his name, said he heard “awful, blood-curdling screams” and looked out his window to see a “black guy dressed all in black with a hood and rucksack grappling with some people”.
He told the broadcaster: “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 girl stumbled towards a house and didn’t move. The next minute she had disappeared down the side of a home, where they found her.
