Birmingham Stabbings Declared a ‘Major Incident’

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This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

At least one person was killed and seven people wounded, two of them seriously, in a series of stabbings early Sunday in the English city of Birmingham, the police said.

The police said they were looking for one man in what appeared to be a “random attack.”

Chief Superintendent Steve Graham of the West Midlands Police said that officers were still searching for a motive, but that there was no indication that the stabbings were terrorism or gang-related.

The police have confirmed that at least one man was killed and that two people, a man and a woman, had serious injuries. Five others were also wounded, and their injuries were described as minor.

No link has been established between the victims, leading the police to believe that the stabbings were done at random.

The attacks happened in several locations across central Birmingham. The first stabbing was reported to the police shortly after midnight in the north of the city, and the others followed over the next few hours, ending in the “Gay Village,” an area known for its busy nightlife. The police said they believed that the stabbings were linked and that one man was responsible for the crimes.

“We are doing everything we can to trace the offender,” Mr. Graham said at a news conference.

The police declared the situation a “major incident,” a designation that describes any episode involving serious harm or a security risk to the public. A murder investigation has been opened.

They warned Birmingham residents that the attacker was still at large, and urged the public to be alert. Officers also made an appeal for photographs and video taken in the city center late Saturday or early Sunday.

“Our emergency services are working hard to find whoever is responsible and bring them to justice,” Britain’s home secretary, Priti Patel, said on Twitter.

The country’s foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, said it was “a very serious incident” and urged anyone in the area to “be vigilant.”

David Jamieson, the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “We’re well used on a Friday and Saturday night to activity, but I think what is different is the randomness of this particular event.”



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