Police say driver who plowed into Liverpool soccer fans acted alone, not believed to be terrorism
LONDON: A 53-year-old British man plowed a minivan into a crowd of Liverpool soccer fans who were celebrating the city's Premier League championship Monday, injuring more than 45 people as shouts of joy turned into shrieks of terror.
The driver arrested was believed to be the only one involved and the crash was not being investigated as an act of terrorism, police said.
Ambulances took 27 people to the hospital, including two with serious injuries, and another 20 people were treated at the scene for minor injuries, said Dave Kitchin of North West Ambulance Service. At least four children were injured.
Four of the victims, including a child, were trapped under the van and firefighters had to lift the vehicle to free them. A paramedic on a bicycle was also struck but was not injured.
'It has cast a very dark shadow over what had been a joyous day for the city,' City Council leader Liam Robinson said at a late night news conference.
As the parade was wrapping up, a gray minivan turned onto the parade route and plowed into the sea of fans wrapped in their red Liverpool scarves, jerseys and other memorabilia. A video on social media showed the van strike a man, tossing him in the air, before veering into a larger crowd, where it plowed a path through the group and pushed bodies along the street before coming to a stop.
'It was extremely fast,' said Harry Rashid, who was with his wife and two young daughters as the minivan passed by them. 'Initially, we just heard the pop, pop, pop of people just being knocked off the bonnet of a car.'
Rashid said the crowd charged the halted vehicle and began smashing windows.
'But then he put his foot down again and just plowed through the rest of them, he just kept going,' Rashid said. 'It was horrible. And you could hear the bumps as he was going over the people.'
Rashid said it looked deliberate.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Ballymena riots: Fires rage as protests over alleged assault fuel anti-immigrant unrest in Northern Ireland
More than 30 police officers have been injured in Northern Ireland after two nights of violent rioting in Ballymena, triggered by the court appearance of two 14-year-old boys charged with the attempted sexual assault of a teenage girl. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The unrest, which police described as 'hate-fuelled acts and mob rule,' has targeted homes, businesses and vehicles prompting fears of further escalation across the region. The violence began Monday, shortly after the accused teens appeared in court and denied the charges through a Romanian interpreter. The case has inflamed anti-immigrant sentiments in the town of about 31,000 people, amplified by far-right social media accounts that celebrated the riots and shared live footage. By Tuesday night, police in Ballymena came under 'sustained attack' from rioters using petrol bombs, bricks, and fireworks. Seventeen officers were injured that night alone, while by Wednesday, the total number of injured officers had risen to 32. A pregnant woman had to be evacuated from a burning home, local politician Sian Mulholland told BBC's Good Morning Ulster. 'People are waking up today feeling genuine fear for their lives and their livelihoods,' said Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). 'We have seen a number of calls over social media for protest activity this evening... It can be difficult to assess how much and where that will be.' Clonavon Terrace, the epicentre of the unrest, was quiet by Wednesday afternoon, but its charred remains spoke volumes: smashed windows, burned-out furniture, and flags on homes identifying the nationalities of those inside. One sign read, 'British household,' a symbol of fear within immigrant communities trying to avoid becoming targets. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Police have declared the attacks on four homes, believed to be racially motivated, as hate crimes. 'When I watch families having their doors kicked in who happen to be from our diverse communities, I have to call that out for the racist behaviour that it is,' Henderson said. The riots quickly spread beyond Ballymena. Protesters blocked roads and clashed with police in Belfast, Newtownabbey, and Carrickfergus. In response, officers in riot gear deployed water cannon and fired non-lethal rounds known as attenuated energy projectiles. Cars were set alight, bins torched, and masonry hurled at officers. Police are now requesting reinforcements from mainland Britain to cope with the unrest. Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill called the attacks 'abhorrent,' adding, 'No one, now or ever, should feel the need to place a sticker on their door to identify their ethnicity just to avoid being targeted.' The British and Irish governments also condemned the violence. 'This appalling violence and vandalism must cease immediately,' said UK Northern Ireland Minister Hilary Benn, warning that those responsible would face justice.
India Today
5 hours ago
- India Today
Muhammad Yunus rules out staying in power after Bangladesh 2026 elections
Bangladesh's interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, said he will not remain in power after the upcoming national elections in April 2026. This statement comes days after Yunus, who was appointed as interim leader in August last year, announced the election 84, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, took charge of the country after a massive student-led protest forced then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to India. His appointment came at a time when Bangladesh was facing political at Chatham House in London, Yunus denied any intention of extending his stay in politics after the elections. When asked if he would consider continuing in any political role, Yunus replied, "There was no way," as quoted by AFP. "I think none of our cabinet members would like to do that, not only me," he added. During an address to the nation on Eid al-Adha, Yunus announced that Bangladesh elections would be held in the first half of April 2026. "After reviewing the ongoing reforms related to justice, governance, and the electoral process, I am announcing to the nation today that the next national election will be held on any day in the first half of April 2026," he said on national said that facilitating a smooth transition to democratically elected leadership is the primary duty of his administration. He had previously stated that elections would take place prior to June 2026, but mounting political pressure compelled him to provide a more precise schedule. However, the Election Commission hasn't released the roadmap for the HASINA INDICTED FOR MASS KILLINGSadvertisementYunus' remarks come amid a big legal development in Bangladesh. Just a week ago, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was formally indicted by the country's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT). She has been charged of mass murder and other serious indictment is linked to Hasina's alleged role in the violent suppression of student protests in 2024. The nationwide protests eventually led to her downfall. The ICT, consisting of a three-judge panel, accepted the charges after prosecutors accused Hasina and her former government officials of using brutal force against is currently on an official visit to the United Kingdom. During the visit, he is expected to meet King Charles III and British Prime Minister Keir InMust Watch
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Time of India
Anti-immigrant rioting stretches into second night in Northern Ireland
Ballymena in Northern Ireland witnessed a second night of rioting. Anti-immigrant protests spread to other areas. Police reported hate-fueled acts. Homes and vehicles were attacked. The violence followed a demonstration over an alleged sexual assault. Far-right groups amplified the unrest. Authorities are investigating the incidents. They are reviewing video footage to identify rioters. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads A second night of rioting struck the town of Ballymena in Northern Ireland on Tuesday, as anti-immigrant protests spread to several other areas and police warned of "hate-fueled acts."Homes, businesses and vehicles were again attacked in Ballymena, a town of about 31,000 people, where several properties were set on fire Monday night following a demonstration over the alleged sexual assault of a teenage outbreak of violence began after two 14-year-old boys appeared in a local court on Monday charged with attempted oral rape on Saturday night. The boys spoke through a Romanian translator, the BBC reported, and both denied the charges through their case triggered an outcry in the town, and tapped into a broader anti-immigrant movement that has resulted in several outbreaks of violence in recent years. Far-right groups and influencers on social media amplified news of the assault case and celebrated the ensuing Ireland has seen increased immigration in recent years, with the percentage of the population born outside of the United Kingdom rising from 6.5% in 2011 to 8.6% in 2021, according to the most recent census data. But the number of immigrants is still relatively low compared with many other countries in Europe, and emigration is high. Experts say that far-right activists have exploited a housing shortage and an ongoing cost of living crisis to incite violence against asylum-seekers and other Tuesday evening, police officers came under "sustained attack" with Molotov cocktails, bricks and fireworks, according to a statement from the Police Service of Northern Ireland, and 17 officers were injured.A heavily pregnant woman was evacuated from one of the houses set on fire, local politician Sian Mulholland told the BBC show "Good Morning Ulster," adding that the violence had been livestreamed on social media and that rioters had been directed on "how to get around the police barricades."On Wednesday morning, signs and flags had appeared on some homes in the area of Ballymena where the assault and riots took place, stating the nationality of those inside."British household," read one handwritten sign above a smashed window, while another home displayed a picture of the Philippine flag with the words: "Filipino lives here."Michelle O'Neill, the first minister of Northern Ireland, said in a statement Wednesday that the "racist and sectarian attacks on families" were "abhorrent and must stop immediately." She added: "No one, now or ever, should feel the need to place a sticker on their door to identify their ethnicity just to avoid being targeted."The police used a water cannon against crowds and fired plastic baton rounds in Ballymena, while unrest also took place in parts of Belfast and in the town of Carrickfergus. Earlier in the evening, protests had taken place in areas of Belfast, as well as in Lisburn, Coleraine and family of the victim of Saturday's sexual assault said they did not condone the violence and appealed for people to let "justice be served in the correct manner," through a statement released by Paul Frew, who represents the district covering Ballymena in the Northern Ireland in Parliament on Wednesday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain condemned the violence, saying it was vital that the police "are given the time they need to investigate the incidents concerned, rather than face mindless attacks as they seek to bring peace and order to keep people safe."Chief Constable Jon Boutcher, who leads the Police Service of Northern Ireland, said police were reviewing video footage and other evidence to identify rioters, and condemned what he called "hate-fueled acts and mob rule.""The mindless violence witnessed over the past two nights in Ballymena is deeply concerning and utterly unacceptable," he added. "These criminal acts not only endanger lives but also risk undermining the ongoing criminal justice process in support of a victim who deserves truth, justice and protection."A report published last month by the Committee on the Administration of Justice, an independent human rights group, analyzed seven incidents of anti-immigrant protests, social media activity, street activism and riots that have taken place in Northern Ireland since 2023. The report's author concluded that a "disturbing pattern of locally driven racist and anti-immigrant activity in Northern Ireland" was being escalated by international extremists who were amplifying "fabricated narratives" on social Donnelly, the author of the report, told The New York Times that some previous incidents had been sparked by criminal incidents involving migrants, while others "had all the hallmarks of made-up stories.""There is a deliberate strategy to build a narrative of incidents being perpetrated by the 'other' -- the immigrant communities -- against 'our' communities," he said. "Suddenly a lot of the crime, like sexual offenses, attempted abductions of children, are all laid at the doorstep of this immigrant 'other' living in our community. Whether these incidents are true or false doesn't really seem to matter online."Donnelly, who works for a Belfast-based technology research group, The Rabble Coop, said that police and government statistics showed that the "vast majority" of sex crimes in Northern Ireland were carried out by white men from the country, but that extremist messaging presenting migrants as a threat was "finding fertile ground."According to the most recent Northern Ireland census, 16% of Ballymena residents recorded a national identity outside British, Irish and Northern Irish groups in 2021, up from 10% at the previous census in largest nationality in the "other" group was Romanian in the most recent census, followed by Polish, Bulgarian and people were arrested on suspicion of rioting in Ballymena on Tuesday night, while another suspect was arrested on suspicion of disorder in police are also investigating a Molotov cocktail attack in the village of Cullybackey, around 3 miles away from Ballymena, shortly after midnight on Tuesday.A vehicle was set on fire and a nearby property, with a woman and two children inside, was damaged, in what investigators are treating as a racially motivated hate article originally appeared in The New York Times.
