Two university students were among the three people killed in horror attacks in Nottingham city centre in the early hours of this morning. The University of Nottingham issued a statement this afternoon confirming that two victims attended the university.
Two people were killed on Ilkeston Road at about 4am while the body of another victim was found in Magdala Road shortly after. Police also attended a scene on Milton Street, where a van had attempted to run down three people, leaving one of them in a critical condition.
A 31-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and detectives are not looking for anyone else in connection with the violence, Nottinghamshire Police confirmed in a statement earlier.
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Witnesses in the area described upsetting scenes as they recalled how a man has been stabbing people in the street as his victims screamed in horror. Others said they saw police apprehend a man as he wrestled with officers, and a weapon being removed from a white van by police.
In a statement, the University of Nottingham 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.”
The university's Students’ Union has also confirmed that it has cancelled Tuesday’s graduation ball following the attacks. The organisation said it was “devastated and shocked” by the events that took place.
In a statement, the SU said: “We stand in solidarity with all our students and the wider city, and our thoughts are with the families and friends of those harmed, alongside those directly and indirectly affected by the unfolding of these terrible events. In light of this, we have made the decision to cancel Grad Ball this evening."
Nottingham City Council leader David Mellen said a vigil has been planned following the attacks. He told BBC Radio Nottingham that a gathering will take place outside St Peter’s Church at 5pm for people to "come together to just take in the enormity of what has happened to stand together".
He added: “Nottingham is a city where people get on well together, where people live in harmony, people work together. To have this shocking incident break into the harmony is truly awful and whatever the motives we would want to stand against them.”
Nottinghamshire Police Chief Constable Kate Meynell said the force is working with counter-terrorism investigators to establish what happened. Major roads in the city centre are set to remain closed as the police investigation continues.
In an update this afternoon, CC Meynell said: “This is a tragic series of events which has led to the lives of three innocent people being taken and left another member of the public in a critical condition in hospital. My thoughts are with all the families affected by this shocking incident and we will be working extremely hard to understand exactly what has happened.
“We are at the early stages of the investigation and need to determine the motives behind these attacks, and will keep the public updated as soon as we are able to say more. We are keeping an open mind as we investigate the circumstances surrounding these incidents and are working alongside Counter Terrorism Policing to establish the facts – as we would normally do in these types of circumstances.
“We do have a man in custody who has been arrested on suspicion of murder. Currently, we do not believe there is anyone else involved in this incident."
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