ARMED terror cops yesterday raided a Nottingham home after three people were stabbed to death in a horror attack.
The black-clad attacker went on to ram into three pedestrians in a stolen van as they walked along along Milton Street at 5.30am on Tuesday.
Terror cops kicked down a door on Ilkeston Road yesterday afternoon, just yards from where witnesses reported hearing "blood-curdling screams".
Cricket ace Barnaby Webber, 19, is the first victim to be named after he was killed alongside another 19-year-old student as they walked home from a club at 4am.
They were "just minutes from home", by the University of Nottingham halls of residence, when they were stabbed on Ilkeston Road.
By 1pm on Tuesday around a dozen Counter Terrorism Specialist Firearm Officers stormed a terraced house just yards from where the two bodies were found.
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HOUSE RAIDED
Footage showed the crack team bang on the door next to a hair salon before screaming: “Armed police, come to the front door now."
The raid lasted around 15 minutes before they left the address.
Nisar Ahmed, who runs Xclusive Hair Studio next door, said the same house was raided by police last year.
“I don’t know who lives there but there was a police raid at the property last summer," he added.
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“I’ve seen people coming and going, but that’s about it. The property was sold recently.”
Barnaby and the female student, who has not yet been named, were found dead near a bus stop in the early hours of this morning, it has been reported.
Cops were then called to nearby Milton Street - just a mile away - where a white van rammed into three people and fled.
The victims are currently being treated in hospital - one is in critical condition while two others have been treated for minor injuries.
The van is believed to have been stolen on Magdala Road from a driver "in his 50s", who was also knifed to death, according to Chief Constable Kate Meynell of Nottinghamshire Police.
She said: "We believe the suspect stole this man's van, drove it to Milton street and at members of the public. We are working to investigate the motive behind the attack."
Officers have since arrested a 31-year-old man on suspicion of murder and he remains in police custody.
Cops say they are keeping an "open mind" over the motive of the attack and are working with counter-terrorism officers.
They are not looking for any other suspects.
She added: "Police were called just after 4am after a member of the public reported two people aged 19 had been stabbed and were unresponsive.
"We had a further call to Milton Street where driver of a stolen van attempted to run over three people. One man is in hospital in a critical condition while two others had minor injuries."
Barnaby's grandfather Phil Robson told The Sun: “It’s tragic. We can’t say anything at the moment. Everyone knows the family locally.”
The gentleman, who was standing with a close family friend who broke down in tears, confirmed Barnaby was a keen sportsman.
He added: “We’re just trying to protect the family. The family liaison officers are coming down from Nottingham and we’re expecting them any minute.”
Moments later two women police officers pulled up at the large semi-detached home in the leafy suburb of Taunton and went into the house.
Officers need to work out what the attacker was doing in the hour-long gap between attacks, according to former senior Metropolitan Police officer Simon Harding.
He told Sky News: "In this particular case we want to see a motive and police will get there when we get there. We want to understand why he's done what he's done."
Two of the victims killed were students from the University of Nottingham.
A first-year student at Nottingham Trent University, who did not want to be named, told The Times the male victim was a first-year student who played cricket for the University of Nottingham.
He said. “I don’t know the boy but he must’ve been walking back from Prism [nightclub]. It’s about a 25-minute walk."
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."
A student told The Telegraph: “They just got unlucky. They were five minutes from home and got stabbed by a random guy.”
The third victim was a man aged around 65, according to witnesses.
Miklos Toldi, 37, an Amazon delivery driver from Hungary, said: “He was a man around 65, greyish hair. He’d got clean black workman’s trousers on, and he was wearing trainers."
BACKPACK FOUND
Shocking footage of the arrest shows the van with two large cracks in the windscreen as cops arrested the suspect on Bentinck Road near Forest Recreation Ground.
A backpack was pictured lying next to the vehicle, which appears to have a damaged bonnet, and the area has been cordoned off.
One witness told the BBC they heard "blood-curdling screams" before watching on as two people were repeatedly knifed.
The attacker then walked off "calm as anything", they claimed.
He said: "Being a hot night, I had the window open and I just heard some awful, blood-curdling screams.
“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.”
Just an hour later Frances Bearder told how she helped two people after they were knocked down by the van near the Theatre Royal just before 5.30am.
She told The Sun: "I didn't notice anything until I heard the collision and turned around.
"I heard a sound like a vehicle hitting something, then screaming so turned around and saw the 2 people on the road.
"Police arrived very quickly as did the ambulance. The van left the scene.
"I believe police were behind the van, then I ran over to the people after they were hit. The police got out to help as well.
"I didn't see the actual collision, just the after effects with the two people that the van hit.
"It happened so quickly, my focus was the people on the floor."
It comes as a witness claims they heard gunshots following the tragedy.
They told GB news: "We woke up at about 5:30am to what sounded like gunshots - we ran to the window and there was armed police coming out of an undercover car.
"The suspect was Tasered and dragged out by them and then arrested."
What we know:
The witness also claimed a knife was pulled from the van.
Another witness told Sky News the suspect was wearing a hat which fell to the floor as he was dragged out of the van by cops.
A white Vauxhall Vivaro van matching the number-plate at the scene of the arrest was listed on eBay at the start of May, The Sun can reveal.
Lynn Haggitt, who saw the Vivaro pull up beside her around 5.30am, told Channel 4 News: “The man in the driver’s seat looked in his mirror and saw the police car behind him.
“The white van then quickened up to the corner of the street and went into two people. He went straight into them and didn’t even bother to turn.
“A lady ended up on the kerb and then he backed up and sped up Parliament Street with the police cars following him.
“A man was hurt badly. They did get him to his feet with a whopping great head wound but amazingly enough he got up.
"The woman was sitting up on the kerb. To me she looked okay.”
CITY ON LOCKDOWN
Nottingham is now on lock down as Ilkeston Road, Magdala Street, Milton Street and Maple Street all remain closed this evening.
Chief Constable Meynell of Nottinghamshire Police said: “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.
“It is safe to go into the city centre but there are a number of streets that will remain closed including Ilkeston Road, Magdala Street, Milton Street and Maple Street.
"This is so officers can gather evidence in order to understand what has happened.”
I have never heard of anything like it. It's not safe to be around anymore, it's upsetting. I didn't think this would happen in Nottingham
Tony Shannon, Ilkeston Road residentResidents say they have been left "disturbed" following this morning's tragedy.
Tony Shannon, 80, who lives near to Ilkeston Road told NottinghamshireLive: "Finding out about the deaths is very disturbing.
"I have never heard of anything like it. It's not safe to be around anymore, it's upsetting. I didn't think this would happen in Nottingham."
Students have today described how the incident left them terrified, as they rushed to contact family members to let them know they were okay.
Joe Riley, who lives near the scene, told Sky News: "I'm in my third year at university and I kind of finished last week.
"This was kind of a week of celebration. There are a lot of student events on throughout the days and evenings.
"Waking up this morning was a little bit scary. That could have been any one of my friends who were out last night."
Niamh, a 19-year-old nursing student who declined to give her second name, said: "It is just absolutely horrifying.
"My friends and I were out just last week and came back at exactly this time so it just makes you think, 'What if?'
"Luckily we had an exam today so we just had a chilled one at home. But when we woke up and heard the news we were messaging all around to make sure everyone was okay.
"Then our accommodation texted everyone to tell them to message their families and say we weren't involved. I have had so many messages from worried people that I have replied to to say I am still alive. It is beyond scary.
"Obviously it is a tragedy whoever has lost their life, but we are just praying that when the names come out it isn't someone we know."
A friend added: "I feel sorry for any families who haven't heard from their children who are studying here at university, they must be going out of their minds.
"You just take walking home in the middle of the night for granted, obviously there are risks but you never expect something like this to happen."
A third student said they believed the pair may have been walking home from the Pryzm nightclub in Nottingham city centre.
David Mellen says he believes the police are taking the time to contact victims' families before releasing any details, so he cannot say any more at the moment.
But speaking on BBC Radio Nottingham about those injured, he said their "only crime was to be waiting at a bus stop early in the morning".
He said there would be a vigil held at 5pm at St Peter's Church in the square.
The University of Nottingham Students' Union confirmed it has cancelled Tuesday's graduation ball following the attacks in the early hours.
The organisation said it was "devastated and shocked" by the attacks, leaving three people dead and three in hospital.
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.
"Attendees will be contacted in due course, but in the meantime we are continuing to work with the university and relevant authorities to understand the situation."
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said his thoughts were with the families of those killed as he thanked the emergency services for their response.
In a statement on Twitter, he wrote: "I want to thank the police and emergency services for their ongoing response to the shocking incident in Nottingham this morning.
"I am being kept updated on developments. The police must be given the time to undertake their work.
"My thoughts are with those injured, and the family and loved ones of those who have lost their lives."
Meanwhile Nadia Whittome, Labour MP for Nottingham East, wrote on Twitter: "Our city has been devastated by the deaths of three people this morning.
"Our thought and prayers are with the families and loved ones of those who have died and those injured."
She added her thanks to the emergency services for their response.
Specialist officers dressed in purple body armour and helmets are at the scene.
They are National inter-agency liaison officers (N.I.L.O), an elite paramedic force set up in the wake of the Manchester Arena bombings.
East Midlands Ambulance service said: "We are responding with other emergency services to a major incident in Nottingham.
"It is too early to comment on casualties or the exact nature of the incident.
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"We are working closely with Nottinghamshire Police and have well-rehearsed plans in place to deal with this incident."
If you have any information on this mornings incident or are concerned about a family member or friend please call this dedicated line - 0800 0961011
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