1 killed, 7 injured in multiple stabbings in UK's Birmingham city
London: UK police said a murder inquiry has been launched on Sunday after one man was killed and seven people injured in multiple stabbings overnight in the city of Birmingham.
According to reports, West Midlands Police believe the victims were picked at random and do not believe the incident was terror or gang related.
While a man and a woman are battling serious injuries, the injuries of five others are not thought to be life-threatening, the force said.
A hunt has been initiated for a male suspect, who is believed to have gone on a stabbing spree, starting at Constitution Hill in Birmingham.
"The events during the early hours of this morning are tragic, shocking and understandably frightening," said Chief Superintendent Steve Graham, responsible for policing in Birmingham.
"Please be assured that we are doing absolutely everything we can to find whoever was responsible and try to understand what exactly happened. We have well-rehearsed plans for dealing with major incidents," he said, calling on the public to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious.
The force is also calling for anyone with CCTV or mobile footage to contact the police. The police believe the incidents, which took place between 12:30 am and 2:20 am local time, are linked and are following a number of lines of enquiry. An increased uniformed and armed response has been put in place across the city.
The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson, said: "Last night's events are truly terrible and have shocked the people of Birmingham, the West Midlands and the country.
"My first thoughts are with the victims and their families at this time. I have every faith in West Midlands Police who are working extremely quickly on this investigation."
Earlier, the police had declared a major incident as cordons were put up and an investigation was launched following reports of the stabbings. A major incident describes any situation involving serious harm or a security risk to the public and covers special arrangements for all of the emergency services to work together.
West Midlands Police said they are uncertain as to the motive behind the stabbings and are working to establish the details after they were called to reports of one stabbing just after midnight in the city centre.
Officers have set up a cordon at the junction of Hurst Street, a popular nightlife area in the city centre referred to as the Gay Village, and Bromsgrove Street. Emergency services attended and some of the injured people were rushed to local hospitals. A heavy police presence remains in the area as officers urged people to remain calm and stay away from the area as cordons remain in place.
Many people had been seated at outdoor tables eating and drinking on Saturday evening just before the incident. The streets in the area had already been closed to traffic due to coronavirus restrictions.
Witnesses reported disturbing scenes of injuries caused by the attack.
A club promoter in the Arcadian Centre in the area, said she was having drinks with colleagues after finishing her shift when a number of fights started breaking out, including a "group on group" brawl that didn't appear to be sparked by something "petty".
She told reporters that racial slurs were being shouted and there were chaotic scenes as club bouncers tried to break up the fight.
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KKR land Green for record-breaking Rs 25.20 crore; Shaw, Sarfaraz go unsold
Abu Dhabi (PTI): Kolkata Knight Riders splurged a record-breaking Rs 25.20 to land top Australian all-rounder Cameron Green even as Indian stars Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan went unsold in the Indian Premier League players' auction here on Tuesday.
Green surpassed compatriot Mitchell Starc (Rs 24.75 crore) to become the most expensive overseas player at an IPL auction. This was after Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings were involved in an intense bidding war for him before the latter emerged winner.
KKR also went after Venkatesh Iyer before pulling out of the race against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who fetched the services of the India all-rounder for Rs 7 crore.
As far as Green is concerned, his salary for the season would still be Rs 18 crore (USD 1.9 million) as the rest of the amount will go towards the BCCI's player development programme as per the rules of the auction for foreign players.
Green, who previously turned up for Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, has so far played 29 matches in the IPL to aggregate 707 runs and take 16 wickets.
Shaw, however, went unsold despite his fine run of form in the domestic circuit lately, and so was the case with Sarfaraz, who smashed a 22-ball 73 in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match for Mumbai on Tuesday.
Big-hitting South African batter David Miller was bought by Delhi Capitals for his base price of Rs 2 crore, but New Zealand swashbuckler Devon Conway, whose base price was also Rs 2 crore, went unsold in the auction.
Seasoned South African opener Quinton de Kock returned to his old base Mumbai Indians for a base price of Rs 1 crore.
A total of 359 players -- 246 Indians and 113 overseas players -- are part of the mini auction pool with the 10 franchises bidding to fill up a maximum of 77 slots, including 31 reserved for foreign players.
