The van that a suspect used to hit pedestrians in Nottingham, England, on Tuesday belonged to one of the alleged suspect's stabbing victims, police officials said in a press conference.
The white van belonged to a man in his 50s that was stabbed on Tuesday along with two 19-year-old college students from the University of Nottingham. One of the students was male, and the other was female. The names of the three victims were not released. The suspect is a 31-year-old male who is in police custody.
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"This is a very sad day for our city, and we will do everything possible to get justice for the victims and their families," Nottinghamshire Police Chief Constable Kate Meynell said in the press conference.
“We are keeping an open mind and are working closely with counterterrorism policing to establish the facts as we would normally do in this type of circumstance. The families of all the victims have been informed and are being supported by specially-trained officers."
Meynell said the motive in the attack is still being determined and that a number of searches have been made across Nottingham to gather evidence, but no additional arrests were made.
Police claim the attacks happened in three different instances on Tuesday. First, two people were found dead in the street at about 4 a.m. local time. Shortly after, police learned that a van had tried to run three people over. Those victims are undergoing treatment in the hospital. Another man was then found dead on a street about 10 minutes away from the first crime scene, who is believed to be the owner of the van.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman expressed her condolences over the tragedy and urged the public to come forward with any information.
“I want to say how shocked and saddened I am that three people have lost their lives earlier today in Nottingham and that further individuals have been injured in this tragic incident," Braverman said in a statement. "My thoughts first and foremost are with all of those who have been involved, their friends, their families and their communities.
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"I’m in regular contact with the Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police, but I want to take this opportunity to urge anybody who has any information about this incident to come forward and report it to the police.”
A vigil honoring the three victims was held at Nottingham’s St Peter’s Church on Tuesday evening, which was primarily attended by people of college age. Students from the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University were in attendance, the Guardian reported.