Three people, including two students, have died after a major incident in Nottingham. Nottinghamshire Police declared a "major incident" on Tuesday morning which saw many roads closed in the city centre as well as the shutting down of the tram network.
Police said two 19 year-old students were found unresponsive shortly after 4am and that a man in his 50s was also found dead from knife injuries at Magdala Road. The force also attended reports that a van had tried to run over three people, one of whom is in a critical condition in hospital.
A 31-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in police custody. Officers said they believed that the suspect had stolen the vehicle then driven it at members of the public. There remains a heavy police presence in the city and police have said their investigation is in its early stages and that they are keeping an open mind. Read the latest updates here.
Here is everything we know so far about the incident:
Police were called to 'major incident'
The world awoke to the news this morning that a "major incident" was underway in Nottingham city centre. A number of locations were cordoned off and there were a number of emergency services at the scene early this morning including police and ambulance services across several different roads. People were being told to avoid the area and one local reporter called the situation "unprecedented."
The Nottingham Express Transit (NET) tram network suspended all services due to "major police incidents around the city and suburbs" while locals said they were woken by sirens and activity at 5am this morning. You can get more story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
Three people have been killed and others injured
It was confirmed on Tuesday morning early on that three people had been killed in the incident. Two of those were found on Ilkeston Road and another found on Magdala Road.
Nottinghamshire Police's initial statement read: "A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after three people were killed in the city. Police were called to Ilkeston Road just after 4am where two people were found dead in the street. Officers were then called to another incident in Milton Street where a van had attempted to run over three people. They are currently being treated in hospital. A man has also been found dead in Magdala Road."
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder
At the same time as their initial statement this morning police confirmed they had arrested a 31-year-old man on suspicion of murder and he remaine in police custody. As of Tuesday evening, that remains the case.
Unverified footage circulating this morning showed a suspect being arrested outside a convenience store in Bentinck Road, although police would not say whether this was linked to the investigation.
Two of the people killed were students in Nottingham
It was confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that two of those killed in the incident were both students in the city. A statement from Nottingham university said: "It is with great sadness that we confirm the sudden and unexpected death of two of our students following a major incident in Nottingham city centre overnight. We are shocked and devastated by the news and our thoughts are with those affected, their families and friends.
"We know this is likely to cause distress for staff and students in our community. Support is available through our support and wellbeing services for any of our community who may need it."
A police press conference on Tuesday confirmed further details including that both students who died were 19 and were found stabbed shortly after 4am.
One of those has since been identified as Barnaby Webber, who the Mirror reported was a talented sportsman who was coming back from a night out with a friend when the incident unfolded. You can read more about that here. The second student has been named locally as Grace Kumar, a hockey player in the university first team.
Police believe the suspect stole the van used to carry out the alleged attacks
The police press conference also shed more light on what police believe was the timeline of the incidents. Nottinghamshire Police Chief Constable Kate Meynell said: "Police were called to Ilkeston Road after two 19-year-olds were found stabbed shortly after 4am. Officers had a further call to Milton Street following reports a van had tried to run over three people. As a result, one man is in hospital in a critical condition while others were left with minor injuries.
"The van was then stopped on Maple Street where man was tasered by police and taken into custody. A man in his 50s was also found dead from knife injuries at Magdala Road by a member of the public. At the moment we believe the suspect has stolen this vehicle then driven it at members of the public."
Witness Lynn Haggitt told BBC News she was feeling "shaky" after describing what she saw near the Theatre Royal in Nottingham this morning. She described how a white van pulled up beside her at 5.30am on her way to work: "He looked in his mirror, saw a police car behind him, he then quickened up, there were two people, two in the corner, he went straight into these two people."
"There was such a bang, I wish I never saw it, it's really shaken me up.
The motive behind the attacks is not confirmed
Chief Constable Kate Meynell said the police were still in the early stages of the investigation and needed to determine the motives behind the attacks.
"We are keeping an ‘open mind’ and are working alongside Counter Terrorism Policing to establish the facts – as we would normally do in these types of circumstances," she said.
"The families of all of the victims have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers. Officers have also carried out a number of searches at addresses across the city to gather evidence, but no further arrests have been made.
"A dedicated team of detectives is investigating the circumstances surrounding these incidents and will continue to gather evidence over the coming days."
The force is working closely with counter-terrorism police but it has not said that it is treating any of the alleged attacks as terrorism at this stage.
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