Nottingham: two of three victims in fatal knife and van attacks were university students - timeline of events

Three people have died and another three are in hospital after a knife and van attack in Nottingham.

Witnesses described hearing victims screaming as they were stabbed and others being mown down by a van in the early morning on Tuesday (13 June).

Nottinghamshire Police were called to Ilkeston Road just after 4am on Tuesday (13 June) where two people were found dead in the street, and a third man was also found dead in Magdala Road.

Another three people are in hospital after someone tried to run them over in a van in Milton Street, in what police believe was a connected incident. A 31-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and currently remains in police custody.

On Tuesday evening, the University of Nottingham confirmed two of the three people killed in the attacks were students at the university. In a statement posted to Twitter, the 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." The statement continued: “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.”

Counter terrorism police have since raided a home on the road where two people were found dead this morning, with armed officers using a battering ram to break down a door in Ilkeston Road at 1pm, The Telegraph reports. The raid is said to have lasted around 10 minutes and involved officers wearing uniforms emblazoned with CTSFO which stands for Counter Terrorism Specialist Firearm Officers.

Police have not yet commented on whether the attack is being treated as terrorism and are keeping an “open mind” over the motive for the attack, but it is understood that the man in custody has a mental health history.

Chief Constable Kate Meynell said in a statement this morning: “This is an horrific and tragic incident which has claimed the lives of three people. We believe these three incidents are all linked and we have a man in custody.

“This investigation is at its early stages and a team of detectives is working to establish exactly what has happened. We ask the public to be patient while inquiries continue. At this time, a number of roads in the city will remain closed as this investigation progresses.”

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 of 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 house, and that’s where they found her. I’d say it all happened within five or six minutes. The attacker then just walked off up Ilkeston Road towards town, as calm as anything.”

The man said he called the police, who arrived within five minutes, before paramedics tried for 40 minutes to revive the pair. Police activity continued in various locations along Ilkeston Road on Tuesday, with parts of the street cordoned off and armed officers deployed, some of whom came from Derbyshire Police and South Yorkshire Police.

Two women were taken away from one commercial property in a police van shortly before 1pm and a terraced property was also under police guard, with staff at a neighbouring hairdresser saying it had been raided last year. Witnesses in Bentinck Road described the suspect struggling as officers dragged him out of a white van.

Another witness, Lynn Haggitt, told Channel 4 News she saw two people who were hit by a van. She said: “I saw a van pull up at the side of me. It was white, all white. There was a police car behind it, coming up slowly, no flashing lights. The man in the driver’s seat looked in his mirror and saw the police car behind him.”

She said the white van then drove up to “the corner of the street and went into two people”, adding: “The lady ended up on the kerb, and then he backed up the white van and he went… speeded up Parliament Street with the police cars following him.”

Nottingham City Council leader David Mellen said a vigil has been planned following the attacks. He told BBC Radio Nottingham: “I believe there’s going to be a vigil outside St Peter’s Church in the square organised by the diocese at 5pm for people to come together to just take in the enormity of what has happened to stand together.

“Nottingham is a city where people get on well together, where people live in harmony, people work together," he said. "To have this shocking incident break into the harmony is truly awful and whatever the motives we would want to stand against them.”

Multiple roads have been closed in Nottingham as police deal with the “ongoing serious incident” in the city. Police officers and emergency services are in attendance at several locations and the following roads are currently closed:

• Ilkeston Road
• Milton Street
• Magdala Road
• Maples Street
• Woodborough Road from junction of Magdala Road into the city
• Maid Marian Way junction of Parliament Street

The Nottingham Express Transit (NET) tram network said it has suspended all services due to “major police incidents around the city and suburbs”.

In a statement issued on Tuesday morning, Nottinghamshire Police said: “There are multiple road closures in place throughout the city while the incident is being investigated. We are asking the public and motorists to please avoid the following areas and plan alternate routes.”

Chief Inspector Neil Humphries warned commuters to avoid these areas as the closures are likely to remain “for some time”. He said: “Officers are currently on scene at multiple road closures due to an ongoing incident. Please avoid these areas as they are expected to remain closed for some time.”

In a separate statement, NET advised travellers that NCT buses are accepting its tickets and passes, while EMR trains are also accepting its tickets and passes between Hucknall and Beeston, and Nottingham station.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak thanked the emergency services for their response to the “shocking incident”, adding: “My thoughts are with those injured, and the family and loved ones of those who have lost their lives.”

Nadia Whittome, Labour MP for Nottingham East, said the city has been left “devastated” by the three deaths. In a post on Twitter, she wrote: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of those who have died and those injured. We are grateful for the efforts of the city’s emergency responders in tackling these incidents. They must be allowed to do their jobs in investigating them.

“Nottingham is a beautiful city, home to brilliant people from all backgrounds. We are shaken by today’s events but will meet them collectively as a community and heal together. Nottingamshire Police has set up a dedicated line for anyone with information on this morning’s incident or with concerns about a family member or friend - 0800 0961011.”