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The attacks occurred in four locations in Birmingham city center
A man was arrested on suspicion of murder after one person died and seven others were injured in stabbings in Birmingham city center.
The 27-year-old suspect was arrested at an address in the Selly Oak area of the city around 04:00 BST, West Midlands police said.
Officers said he was also being held on seven counts of attempted murder.
The attacks occurred at four Birmingham locations over a 90-minute period in the early hours of Sunday.
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Police presence seen at an address in Selly Oak
Forensic officers have been seen conducting searches of a house at the end of the terrace in a cul-de-sac in Selly Oak, where neighbors said a police raid was carried out in the early hours.
Resident John Astley said he was awakened by a loud knock during the night and saw a police van parked outside the neighboring property.
He said, “I think there were three people living there. They’ve only been there a few months, since July or something.
“I took a look out the bedroom window and realized there was a police van. I could hear a lot of noise coming from the next door and it sounded like they were doing a search.”
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Officers were called for the first time just after 12:30 a.m. Sunday at Constitution Hill, where a man sustained a superficial injury.
About 20 minutes later they were called to Livery Street near Snow Hill train station, where a 19-year-old man was seriously injured and a woman was also injured.
At 1:50 a.m., the police were dispatched to Irving Street, where a 23-year-old man suffered fatal injuries and another man was seriously injured.
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Ten minutes later, they were called to Hurst Street, in the city’s Gay Village, where a 32-year-old woman was seriously injured and two men were less seriously injured.
Police say they are treating the attacks as “random” at this stage.
Ch Supt Steve Graham said: “Officers worked until yesterday and into the early hours of this morning in an attempt to locate the man we believe responsible for these terrible crimes.
“We posted CCTV footage of the suspect and got a strong response from the public. I would like to thank everyone who shared our appeal and provided information to the investigation.
“This is clearly a crucial advance, but our investigation continues.”
A hotline number and website were established for the public to provide information, while the streets where the attacks took place remained closed Monday morning while investigations continued.
Julia Robinson described seeing “chaos”
Julia Robinson, manager of the Birmingham Southside Business Improvement District, described the “chaos” she saw as events unfolded on Sunday.
“I run a warden’s service in town and they retire around midnight, but that night had been quite busy, so we were going to get them taxis at a local location between 1:30 and 1:45.”
“We heard the screams and then a lot of people running and we went out to see what was happening.
“There was a man and a couple who had been injured, a man covered in blood, there was a girl on the ground who seemed to be bleeding profusely, people trying to help her.
“Then it was a case of stepping back and we were really doing our bit to help with crowd control and to try to get everyone out of the area so the emergency services could do their job.”
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The attack sites remained closed until Monday morning.
Questions have been raised about how the suspect was able to move around the city for 90 minutes.
Birmingham MP Shabana Mahmood said she “shares the same concerns as everyone else” but that the priority was to support the police in their investigation.
She said: “There will be a more appropriate stage to have a more forensic type of detail about how the incident unfolded, and also the response of the police, and I will certainly ask those questions as well.”
“But for now I am encouraged … the police have described a strong response to their appeal of CCTV footage.”
- Latest updates on Birmingham stabbings
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street told BBC Radio 4’s Today show that it was wrong to say that the police response was too slow.
“It’s very easy to comment on a police investigation while it’s live. I don’t mean to fall into that trap,” he said.
“[There are] A lot of questions about what happened during that two-hour period, but there are people who make a lot of assumptions about things that, frankly, they don’t know. “
He also said that what happened in the early hours of Sunday “does not define Birmingham.”
“We have to see it as a [incident], and what will define the city is our response now, “he said.
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West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said the events had left the city “in shock.”
“I am pleased that officers have moved so quickly to gather and analyze the available evidence to locate the suspect and make an arrest. I hope this offers some comfort to the people of the West Midlands who have understandably been so concerned.”
“I would also like to place on record my sincere thanks to the brave and hardworking police, hospital and ambulance personnel who have acted so swiftly to help the victims of this atrocity. My thoughts are with all those affected.
“Of course, I will be following the investigation closely over the next few days and weeks, as well as examining whether the force needs to learn lessons from its response to this incident.”
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