UK police arrest man over Birmingham mass stabbings
- Man with knife killed one person and critically injured two in a series of random stabbings over several hours
- Police still investigating attacker’s motive, but said he was ‘not motivated by hate’
The 27-year-old suspect was detained in Selly Oak area of the city at 4am, West Midlands police said. Detectives said the stabbings which took place in four locations over two hours were linked but were not thought to be gang-related or connected to terrorism.
“We’ve arrested a man on suspicion of murder and seven counts of attempted murder in connection with the #BirminghamStabbings,” police said on Twitter.
Chief superintendent Steve Graham of West Midlands Police earlier said the stabbings were “not motivated by hate’.
Britain has been on high alert after two mass stabbings in London in the last year, which saw armed officers shoot dead both perpetrators – convicted Islamic extremists who had been released early from prison.
Stabbings in England and Wales increased six per cent in the year to the end of March, according to the Office for National Statistics.