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Police searching for a man suspected of killing one person and wounding seven others in stabbings in Birmingham city center say they have had a “strong response” after posting CCTV footage.
The attacks in the early hours of Sunday sparked a massive persecution.
Images of the man officers want to find were released Sunday night.
Detectives have been working through the night following leads from the public to identify and find the suspect, West Midlands Police tweeted.
The attacks occurred in four different locations in the city center over a 90-minute period.
A 23-year-old man was killed on Irving Street at 01:50 BST on Sunday, while a man and a woman, aged 19 and 32, sustained serious stab wounds.
Five other people, between 23 and 33 years old, were injured and taken to hospital. Since then, two have been discharged.
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West Midlands Police
The public is urged to remain vigilant and stay away from the man in the photo.
CCTV footage released Sunday night shows a man wearing a baseball cap, a dark hoodie with white laces, dark-colored pants and shoes.
He is seen standing and walking on the corner of a street.
Three hours after the footage was released, West Midlands Police tweeted: “We have had a strong response following our call to track down the #BirminghamStabbings suspect.
Our detectives are pursuing several new lines of investigation. This man is wanted on suspicion of murder.
“We have a team of detectives working through the night to identify and track down the suspect.”
He added that a special hotline has been established for members of the public to relay information.
Earlier in the day, Ch Supt Steve Graham told reporters: “At this time we believe the attacks were random and we have no indication of a motive.”
He urged the public to remain vigilant and call 999 if they spot anything suspicious.
‘Impact on the city’
West Midlands Police were first called to Constitution Hill, where a man sustained a superficial injury just after 00:30 BST.
Twenty minutes later they were called to Livery Street, near the Snow Hill train station, where the 19-year-old man was seriously injured and a woman was also injured.
An hour later, at 01:50 BST, police were dispatched to Irving Street, where the 23-year-old died and another man sustained serious injuries.
Ten minutes later, they were called to Hurst Street, in the city’s Gay Village, where the 32-year-old woman was seriously injured and two men suffered minor injuries.
The stabbings do not appear to be related to terrorism or gangs, police said.
Mr. Graham added: “We do not underestimate the impact these incidents have had on the city of Birmingham today.
“We declare this to be a major incident at the earliest opportunity and have recruited dozens of officers to assist with the investigation and patrol the city to assure residents and visitors that we are doing everything possible to arrest the person responsible.”
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PA media
A cordon remains in place in the stabbing scenes
Several witnesses saw the attacks, including Nikita Denton, who was celebrating her 29th birthday and helping to arrest one of the bleeding women on the street.
The restaurant’s owner, Savvas Sfrantzis, described seeing the “cold” attacker calmly walk away after repeatedly stabbing a woman.
“I looked at him, right in front of him, and I can see that he had a blade, not very big, and he was stabbing her in the neck.
“She wasn’t panicking and she wasn’t reacting or anything. After stabbing her five to seven times … she left like nothing happened.”
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Officers recovered a knife from a drain, but Graham said it was “too early” to say if it was related to the case.
When asked how the man with the knife could get through more than two hours without being caught, he described the suspect’s route through the city as “relatively unusual.”
He added: “There was no suggestion that people had seen him run away, the area was being searched at the time, the subject was unfortunately not captured.”
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PA media
Downtown areas have been cordoned off
Force police and crime commissioner David Jamieson called the assaults “disturbing,” and the violence unfolded as revelers enjoyed the night.
West Midlands Police said extra officers had “flooded” the city center and forensic experts had examined four scenes.
A heavy police presence was maintained throughout Sunday, with armed officers, patrols, riot vans and patrols visible.
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