Babak Belurs

Minggu, 06 September 2020

CCTV issued in hunt for Birmingham attack suspect - BBC News

Footage of a man suspected of killing one person and injuring seven others in a spate of stabbings across Birmingham city centre has been released.

The attacks in the early hours sparked a massive police manhunt for the suspect.

A 23-year-old man was killed in Irving Street at 01:50 BST, West Midlands Police said. A man and a woman, aged 19 and 32, suffered critical injuries.

Five other people, aged between 23 and 33, were also hurt.

They were taken to hospital and so far two have been discharged.

The CCTV footage shows a man wearing a baseball cap and a dark hoodie with white drawstrings.

Also wearing dark-coloured trousers and shoes, he can be seen standing and walking on a street corner.

"At this stage we believe that the attacks were random and we have no indication of a motive," said Ch Supt Steve Graham, who urged the public to remain vigilant.

"We are appealing for anyone who recognises the man in the footage to contact us urgently. If you see him, please do not approach him, but dial 999 immediately."

'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, then to Livery Street 20 minutes later, where the 19-year-old man was critically injured and a woman was also hurt.

An hour later at 01:50 BST, police were sent to Irving Street, where the 23-year-old died and another man suffered serious injuries.

Ten minutes later, they were called to Hurst Street where the 32-year-old woman was critically injured and two men suffered lesser injuries.

The stabbings do not appear to be terrorism related or gang related, police said.

Mr Graham added: "We do not underestimate the impact that these incidents have had on the city of Birmingham today.

"We declared this a major incident at the earliest opportunity and we have drafted in scores of officers to help with the investigation and patrol the city to reassure residents and visitors that we are doing all we can to apprehend the person responsible."

Multiple witnesses saw the attacks, including Nikita Denton who was out celebrating her 29th birthday and helped stop one of the women bleeding in the street.

Another, restaurant owner Savvas Sfrantzis, described seeing the attacker walk calmly away after stabbing a woman repeatedly.

"I looked at him, facing him, and I can see he had a blade, small, not very big, and he was stabbing her in the neck.

"He was like very cold and he wasn't panicking and he wasn't reacting or anything. After he stabbed her between five and seven times... he walked off as if nothing has happened."

Officers have recovered a knife from a drain but Mr Graham said it was "way too early" to say if it was connected to the case.

At an earlier press conference he was asked how the knifeman was able to move through the city centre for more than two hours without being caught.

Mr Graham said the suspect's route through the city was "relatively unusual".

He added: "There was no suggestion people had seen him running out, area searches were being made at the time, unfortunately the subject wasn't caught."

The force's police and crime commissioner David Jamieson labelled the assaults "disturbing", with the violence unfolding as revellers had been enjoying the night.

Julia Robinson, from the Southside Business Improvement District, said businesses were in "shock" and had worked through the night to provide police with CCTV footage from the area.

West Midlands Police said extras officers had "flooded" the city centre and forensic experts had examined four scenes.

A heavy police presence remained throughout the day, with armed officers, patrols, riot vans and squad cars visible.

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Birmingham stabbings: CCTV of suspect released after attacks leave one dead and seven injured - Sky News

Police investigating a series of stabbings in Birmingham - one of them fatal - have released CCTV images of a suspect.

The pictures show a man wearing a baseball cap and a dark hoodie with white drawstrings, dark trousers and shoes.

Chief Superintendent Steve Graham, from West Midlands Police, said officers had "worked throughout the day to trawl footage".

Witnesses have been interviewed to "ensure we release the best possible video and image of the man we want to speak to", he added.

The force said extra officers had "flooded the city centre", adding that "four scenes have been held throughout the day and forensic experts have examined each area".

Detectives said there was "no suggestion" the attacks were linked to terrorism.

A 23-year-old man suffered fatal injuries, police said, while a 19-year-old man and a woman, 32, suffered critical injuries.

Another five people, aged between 23 and 33, were taken to hospital after also being hurt. Two have been discharged so far.

Mr Graham said: "At this stage we believe that the attacks were random and we have no indication of a motive.

"I would urge people to remain vigilant and report any suspicious behaviour to us."

Anyone who recognises the man is advised not to approach him, and to call 999 immediately.

The force has a "hotline number and a dedicated web page where you can submit information, photos and videos", Mr Graham said.

Earlier, police said they believed the stabbings were linked.

Birmingham stabbing — 'I saw him stab a girl in neck then walk away'

A man who witnessed one of the assaults said he saw the attacker stab a woman "several times" in the neck.

Bar manager David Nash said he came within 10 metres of a hooded suspect near one of the scenes in Hurst Street.

He explained: "I was on the street around 2.20am and we heard somebody shout down the street 'stop him, he's just stabbed somebody'."

Mr Nash said the person was "calm" and walking unhurriedly, until someone shouted an alarm.

Police said the first call was to Constitution Hill, just after 12.30am on Sunday, where a man suffered a superficial injury.

Twenty minutes later they were called to Livery Street, where a 19-year-old man was critically injured and a woman was injured too.

At 1.50am they were called to Irving Street, where, in addition to the fatality, another man suffered serious injuries.

At 2am, officers were called to Hurst Street, where a 32-year-old woman was seriously injured and two men received lesser injuries.

Boris Johnson thanked the emergency services and said his thoughts were with anyone affected by the "terrible incident", while Home Secretary Priti Patel said emergency services were "working hard to find whoever is responsible and bring them to justice".

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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiX2h0dHBzOi8vbmV3cy5za3kuY29tL3N0b3J5L2Jpcm1pbmdoYW0tc3RhYmJpbmdzLXBvbGljZS1yZWxlYXNlLWNjdHYtZm9vdGFnZS1vZi1zdXNwZWN0LTEyMDY1NDY20gFjaHR0cHM6Ly9uZXdzLnNreS5jb20vc3RvcnkvYW1wL2Jpcm1pbmdoYW0tc3RhYmJpbmdzLXBvbGljZS1yZWxlYXNlLWNjdHYtZm9vdGFnZS1vZi1zdXNwZWN0LTEyMDY1NDY2?oc=5

2020-09-06 19:18:45Z
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CCTV issued in hunt for Birmingham attack suspect - BBC News

Footage of a man suspected of killing one person and injuring seven others in a spate of stabbings across Birmingham city centre has been released.

The attacks in the early hours sparked a massive police manhunt for the suspect.

A 23-year-old man was killed in Irving Street at 01:50 BST, West Midlands Police said. A man and a woman, aged 19 and 32, suffered critical injuries.

Five other people, aged between 23 and 33, were also hurt.

They were taken to hospital and so far two have been discharged.

The CCTV footage shows a man wearing a baseball cap and a dark hoodie with white drawstrings.

Also wearing dark-coloured trousers and shoes, he can be seen standing and walking on a street corner.

"At this stage we believe that the attacks were random and we have no indication of a motive," said Ch Supt Steve Graham, who urged the public to remain vigilant.

"We are appealing for anyone who recognises the man in the footage to contact us urgently. If you see him, please do not approach him, but dial 999 immediately."

'Impact on the city'

An hour later at 01:50 BST, police were sent to Irving Street, where the 23-year-old died and another man suffered serious injuries.

Ten minutes later, they were called to Hurst Street where the 32-year-old woman was critically injured and two men suffered lesser injuries.

The stabbings do not appear to be terrorism related or gang related, police said.

Mr Graham added: "We do not underestimate the impact that these incidents have had on the city of Birmingham today.

Multiple witnesses have described seeing the attacks, including one restaurant owner who said the suspect walked calmly away after stabbing a woman repeatedly.

Savvas Sfrantzis, from Mykonos bar and grill, said: "I looked at him, facing him, and I can see he had a blade, small, not very big, and he was stabbing her in the neck.