UK govt calls for restraint over Nottingham attacks

UK interior minister Suella Braverman on Wednesday urged people not to speculate after three people were stabbed to death and three others hit by a van in Nottingham, central England.

Her appeal came after claims online and on some television channels about the identity of the 31-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder on Tuesday. 

"It's completely natural to seek answers immediately when something terrible happens but it's also vital that those answers are wholly accurate," Braverman told MPs.

"Speculating out loud is never helpful and runs the risk of being counterproductive," she added. "The police have asked for patience while the inquiries continue."

Police have not released his name or publicly commented on his background.

Braverman confirmed that anti-terrorism police were helping Nottinghamshire police in the inquiry, "though this does not mean that it is currently being treated as a terrorist attack".

Two students aged 19 and a man in his 50s were stabbed to death. Someone using a van stolen from the older victim then tried to mow down three other people in incidents investigators believe are linked.

In parliament, the victims were named as Nottingham University students Barnaby Webber and Grace Kumar, and school caretaker Ian Coates.

Nottingham's centre was cordoned off, with a heavy police presence, including armed officers, following the events in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak thanked emergency services who had dealt with the "shocking incident" in the city, which is home to more than 320,000 people.

Police were called just after 4:00 am (0300 GMT) after the two students were found in Ilkeston Road, which runs west out of the city centre between Nottingham University and Nottingham Trent University.

Residents reported hearing screams and seeing the students being stabbed, before the attacker -- said by one witness to be dressed in black with a hood and rucksack -- walked off calmly.

Coates was then found stabbed on Magdala Road, about two miles (3.2 kilometres) away, police said.

The three people hit by the van, in Milton Street, in the city centre, were being treated in hospital, the force added.

One was in a critical condition while the others had minor injuries, it added.

AFP