Indian-origin teen amongst 3 killed in UK’s Nottingham knife assaults

By Press Trust of India: An Indian-origin teenage medical pupil described as a proficient hockey and cricket participant was named on Wednesday as certainly one of three victims of a frenzied sequence of knife assaults on the streets of Nottingham in central England that has shocked the nation.

Grace O’Malley Kumar, 19, was with fellow University of Nottingham pupil cricketer buddy – Barnaby Webber, additionally 19 – when the as-yet unnamed attacker is alleged to have fatally stabbed the duo within the early hours of Tuesday.

Nottinghamshire Police stated the 31-year-old suspect, who stays in custody, then went on to stab a person in his 60s to loss of life and in addition tried to run over three folks – nonetheless in hospital – with a van stolen from that man.

“I know the whole house will want to thank the emergency services for their ongoing response to the shocking incident in Nottingham yesterday. Our thoughts are with those injured and with the families of those who lost their lives,” stated British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at the beginning of the House of Commons session on Wednesday.

UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman later made a press release to replace Parliament on the “horrific events” and confirmed that it’s not being handled as a terrorist assault at this stage.

“I can tell the House that the police are working flat out to establish the full facts and provide support to everyone affected. They are currently keeping an open mind as to the motives behind these attacks but I can confirm Nottinghamshire police are being assisted in their inquiries by counter terror police. Though, this does not mean that it is currently being treated as a terrorist attack,” stated Braverman.

Tracing a number of the particulars, the minister stated a knife was used within the assaults, two of the victims have been college students at Nottingham University and the third sufferer – an area faculty caretaker Ian Coates in his 60s – was the proprietor of the van that police imagine the suspect stole and was used to run down three pedestrians who stay in hospital.

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“We are keeping an ‘open mind’ and are working alongside Counter Terrorism Policing to establish the facts – as we would normally do in these types of circumstances,” Kate Meynell, Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police, stated in a press release.

“A dedicated team of detectives is investigating the circumstances surrounding these incidents and will continue to gather evidence over the coming days,” she stated.

While the victims are but to be formally named by the police, native media stories from Nottingham have thrown gentle on some info round Grace Kumar because the daughter of London-based physician of Indian-origin, Dr Sanjoy Kumar.

He is being dubbed a “hero” physician who had saved the lives of some teenage stab victims in his native surgical procedure again in 2009. Tributes have been pouring in for Grace, who was finding out to turn into a health care provider like him and performed for the England under-18s hockey crew and was additionally a proficient cricketer.

“Grace was an adored daughter and sister; she was a truly wonderful and beautiful young lady,” Kumar’s household stated in a press release.

“Grace was not just a sister to James but his best friend. He is completely heartbroken. As parents, words cannot explain our complete and utter devastation. She will be so dearly missed. We were so incredibly proud of Grace’s achievements and what a truly lovely person she was. She was resilient and wise beyond her years,” they stated.

They stated Grace was lively.

“Grace was so happy in life fulfilling her ambition of studying to become a doctor whilst playing topflight hockey at university. She leaves behind devastated extended family and friends,” they added.

England Hockey, the game’s governing physique, additionally paid tributes to her.

“We are all deeply saddened by the news of the tragic death of Grace Kumar in Nottingham on Tuesday,” England Hockey stated in its tribute.

Woodford Wells Cricket Club in Essex described Grace Kumar as a “fiercely competitive, talented and dedicated cricketer”.

Earlier, the University of Nottingham confirmed the “sudden and unexpected death” of two of its college students.

“All of us at Nottingham are deeply shocked and saddened by the deaths of two of our students following a major incident in Nottingham city centre. I know our entire university community will join me in offering our deepest condolences to their family and close friends, as well as the other victims of the incident. Our thoughts are very much with them all at this incredibly difficult time,” stated Vice-Chancellor Shearer West.

“The university is supporting the students’ family and friends, as well as staff and students. Our security team is working closely with Nottinghamshire Police and the authorities to support the ongoing investigation into the incident,” she stated.

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