Police in Nottingham arrested a man on suspicion of murder on Tuesday (June 13) after three people were killed in an incident in the city.
The man is suspected of killing two students from the University of Nottingham – Barnaby Philip John Webber, 19, and Grace O’Malley Kumar, also 19. A third man, a school caretaker named Ian Coates, 65, was also killed.
Police in Nottingham are working with the counter-terrorism police, but it hasn’t been declared a terrorist incident. Police are still trying to discover the motive. Here’s everything we know about the suspect…
The suspect ‘did not have a criminal record’
A 31-year-old West African man was arrested in connection with the incident, reports claim. Hs is thought to have been living legally in the UK since he was a teenager, LBC News reports.
The man does not have a criminal record and was not known to security services, according to the BBC’s Home Affairs correspondent, Daniel Sandford. However, the man is alleged to have had mental health issues in the past.
Earlier today (June 15), new details were released by Nottinghamshire Police. A statement revealed that they have been granted another 36 hours to question the suspect. This means he could remain in custody being questioned until Saturday morning (June 17).
Police also confirmed that the suspect was also a student of Nottingham University, where Barnaby and Grace studied.
The statement read: “The suspect is a former University of Nottingham student but at this time, it is not believed to be connected with the attack.”
It added that the suspect is believed to have made his way to a supported living complex in Mapperley Road after the attack on the students but was denied entry. This incident had not been reported to police at the time.
CCTV footage of the moment the man was arrested has also been shared. It shows him being tasered by police and being removed from the van he stole from one of his victims.
ED! has contacted Nottinghamshire Police for comment.
‘Refusing’ to cooperate
According to The Telegraph, the suspect has been “refusing” to co-operate with the police. Aside from the 31 year old, no other arrests have been made. The police have said they are not looking for anyone else.
Nottinghamshire Police previously released a statement about the arrest. “Detectives are still keeping an open mind on the motives of the attacks and a 31-year-old man is still in police custody. He has been arrested on suspicion of murder,” it said.
The statement added: “There have been reports suggesting that police are no longer working with Counter Terrorism Policing. This is not the case, and Counter Terrorism Policing continues to work alongside Nottinghamshire Police.”
Nottingham incident: What happened?
At 4am on June 13, Nottingham University students Barnaby Webber and pal Grace O’Malley Kumar were walking home from a club. They were targeted and killed in the student area of Ilkeston Road. Around an hour later, police believe the same suspect stabbed Ian Coates to death and stole his van.
At 5:30am, the suspect allegedly rammed into three people waiting for a bus in Milton Street in the city centre. All three people survived, leaving one man in critical condition and two others with minor injuries.
The family of 19-year-old Barnaby issued a statement. They wrote: “At 19 he was just at the start of his journey into adulthood and was developing into a wonderful young man. As parents, we are enormously proud of everything he achieved and all the plans he had made.”
The statement concluded: “His brother is bereft beyond belief, and at this time we ask for privacy as a family to be allowed time to process and grieve. We will not be making any further statements, particularly in relation to the police investigation.”
Grace’s family also paid tribute to their “adored” daughter in a heartbreaking statement. Elsewhere, the brother of Ian Coates also broke his social media silence following the death of his beloved brother.
Read more: Woman first on the scene at Nottingham tragedy shares details of murder scene as parents of victim, 19, who died speak out
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