Barnaby Webber, 19, named as one of three stabbed to death by attacker, 31, as terror cops probe van and knife rampage | The Sun

A CRICKET ace was today knifed to death with his pal as the students were "randomly" attacked by a man in Nottingham city centre before a third person was found dead.

Barnaby Webber, 19, was walking home with his female friend – also a Nottingham University student – when he was tragically attacked.

Cops launched a major incident as the horror unfolded – arresting a 31-year-old on suspicion of murder.

Tragedy first struck on Ilkeston Road just after 4am, with witnesses revealing how they heard "blood-curdling screams" as the students were attacked.

It's believed they had been on the way home from a night out when they were knifed – with their bodies tragically found on the street.

Police were then called to Milton Street where the stolen van was used to run over three people – leaving one man in a critical condition with two others suffering minor injuries.

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Detectives – including terror cops – believe the suspect had stolen the van from nearby Magdala Road, where he killed the vehicle's owner.

The man in his 50s had been stabbed to death, police believe.

The suspect was ultimately arrested about 5.30am today, after being Tasered by cops who dragged him from the vehicle.

Barnaby's grandfather Phil Robson this afternoon confirmed he had been killed amid the horror.

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The heartbroken man said: “It’s tragic. We can’t say anything at the moment. Everyone knows the family locally.”

Phil, 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.”

Phil continued: “We are still unsure what has gone on at the moment.

“Barnaby’s parents are in bits. They are with officers from Nottinghamshire Police as we speak and we’ve been told not to make any comment until we know more.

“Perhaps in a day or two we can say more but at the moment we are not allowed.”

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.

What we know:

• "Major incident" declared in Nottingham and six roads closed
• Police confirm two people found dead on Ilkeston Road just after 4am
• Another man also found dead on nearby Magdala Road in city centre
• Three others injured after van tried to mow them down on Milton Street
• Witness tells of hearing gunshots before cops swarmed van on Maples Street, seeing a man arrested on suspicion of murder
• Terror cops with assault rifles raid home on Ilkeston Road
• Cops reveal they're not looking for anyone else in connection to tragedy
• Timeline reveals how horror unfolded
• Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pays tribute to victims

A first-year student at Nottingham Trent University, who did not want to be named, said he knew Barnaby was a first-year student who played cricket for the university.

He told The Times: “He must’ve been walking back from Prism [nightclub]. It’s about a 25-minute walk.

“I don’t know about the girl. It was so busy last night still at 3.30am. It was the final day for everyone. There was an all-day festival at Bink’s Yard and then everyone went to Prism.

“It always seems safe walking down here because there are so many students. This is pretty much where every student lives. We are so used to police around here.

"The sirens are constant so you don’t think anything of it.”

Barnaby and his pal were just five minutes from home when they were killed.

The third victim, a man in his 50s, was found lying by the side of Magdala Road by Miklos Toldi, 37.

Miklos, an Amazon delivery driver from Hungary, said: “At around six o’clock, or 5.45am, I saw a body lying by the side of the road and the blood trailing down the road."

He said there man had "greyish hair", adding: "He’d got clean black workman’s trousers on, and he was wearing trainers. I didn’t see any movement on the chest.

"Another guy, who was also driving to work, called the police. The police were quite fast, they arrived in around two to three minutes.

“The man’s knuckles were covered in blood. My first reaction was he was a drunk lying in the road. The blood was quite fresh.”

Another man is also still fighting for his life after a van attempted to mow him and two others down on Milton Road.

Onlookers claimed the van hurled towards the pedestrians before police swarmed the vehicle.

Some claimed they heard gunshots while the cops worked to arrest the suspect on Maples Street.

In the hours that followed police confirmed they had a man, 31, in custody and were holding him on suspicion of murder.

Dramatic scenes saw armed terror cops raid a home on Ilkeston Road not far from where the students took their final breaths.

Police then confirmed they were keeping an "open mind" over the motive behind the attack, and not looking for anybody else in connection with it.

Police this aft

The University of Nottingham this afternoon confirmed with "great sadness" that Barnaby and his pal attended their campus.

The young people were said to have been just minutes from their home at the halls in Lenton when they died.

A pal of the Barnaby said how the pair had been "unlucky".

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He told The Mirror: “He was a friend of mine. He was just walking home from a club like we all do. They just got unlucky.

“They were just five minutes from home and both got stabbed by some random guy."

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