The city of Nottingham in central England woke up cordoned off by police on Tuesday after three people were found killed in multiple locations in a ‘tragic incident’ involving a van.
A 31-year-old man ‘has been arrested on suspicion of murder after three people were killed in the town’, while three injured people are in hospital after a ‘van attempted to run over (them)’. Nottinghamshire Police said in a statement.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described these events on Twitter as “shocking”, saying “to be kept informed of developments” in the investigation. “My thoughts are with the injured and the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives,” he added.
Police were first called around 4 a.m. to a downtown street where two people were found dead. Then she was called to another location “where a van had tried to run over three people”, who are currently in hospital.
Their condition is not known.
Finally, a man was found dead on another street in the city, police said.
“This is a tragic and horrific incident,” Kate Meynell of Nottinghamshire Police said in the statement. “We believe these three incidents are related and we have a man in custody,” she added.
The police do not mention at this stage a terrorist hypothesis, while the United Kingdom has been targeted by several attacks in recent years, in particular jihadists.
Earlier, police said a “serious incident” was underway in Nottingham, located about 200 kilometers north of London.
“I heard a police car go by, it was driving really fast, followed by another, then another. It went on like this and I knew that something serious […] had arrived somewhere in the city centre, ”testified Glen Gretton, a resident, with the British press agency PA.
“Terrible attack”
Photos and videos circulating on social networks show a large police presence and security cordons blocking several streets in the city center.
Fire trucks, as well as liaison officers responsible for coordinating the work of several emergency services are also present.
A police official Neil Humphries had urged the public to avoid the area as these roads “are expected to remain closed for some time”.
“I am very grateful to Nottingham Police and all who responded to this horrific attack earlier this morning in Nottingham,” Home Secretary Robert Jenrick tweeted.
“All of us in Nottinghamshire share a sense of shock. My thoughts and prayers go out to those who were injured and the families and friends of those killed,” he added.
“Our city wakes up to terrible news today. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected,” also reacted on Twitter Alex Norris, Labor MP for a Nottingham constituency.