logo
Man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after Liverpool parade crash

Man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after Liverpool parade crash

LIVERPOOL, England: A 53-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, dangerous driving and driving while unfit through drugs after a car ploughed into a crowd of Liverpool fans during a Premier League title parade, injuring more than 50, British police said.
Eleven victims remained in hospital in a stable condition on Tuesday, police said, adding that they all appeared to be recovering well.
British police believe the incident, in a packed Liverpool city centre on Monday, was isolated and not an act of terrorism.
They said the driver of the grey Ford Galaxy people-carrier involved in the incident was believed to have followed an ambulance into a closed street when a road block was lifted to allow paramedics to attend to a suspected heart attack victim.
Videos posted online showed the vehicle driving through the street crowded with fans, sending several flying into the air and dragging at least four under its wheels.
When the vehicle stopped, angry people converged on it and began smashing the windows as police officers battled to prevent them from reaching the driver.
Police said 50 people, including children, had been treated for their injuries, with 11 still in hospital.
"They are all in a stable condition, and I am pleased to say that they appear to be recovering well," Deputy Chief Constable Jenny Sims said.
King Charles, who is visiting Canada, said he was "deeply shocked and saddened to hear of the terrible events."
His sister, Princess Anne, met medics who had treated some of the injured at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital.
A MILLION PEOPLE
With most people off work for the Spring Bank Holiday, officials estimated that around 1 million people descended on the 10-mile (16 km) parade route to watch the Liverpool team travel through the city on an open-top bus with the Premier League trophy.
Liverpool last won the league in 2020, ending a 30-year-wait, but fans were unable to celebrate due to lockdowns during the pandemic.
Police said the car hit the spectators as the event was winding down. In the aftermath, a Reuters photographer saw emergency services carrying victims on stretchers and in their arms to nearby ambulances.
One source told MailOnline that it looked like the driver panicked when he realised he was in the crowd and people started banging on his car.
The driver, who was sounding his horn, reversed and then accelerated forwards, according to reports from other witnesses.
Police were unusually quick to provide a description of the man they arrested, saying around two hours after the incident he was a "53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area."
Former police officers and local politicians said that statement was needed to cool social media speculation that the episode was an Islamist attack.
"That was one of my first concerns, that we needed to get the story out quickly," Mayor of Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram told the BBC.
"If there's a vacuum, we know there are some elements that will try to inflame the situation and to create that speculation and to put misinformation out there."
The same police force oversaw the response to the murder of three young girls in the nearby town of Southport last year, an incident which sparked days of rioting, fuelled initially by speculation online over the identity of the attacker.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Turkey arrests ten suspects after wildfires, interior minister says
Turkey arrests ten suspects after wildfires, interior minister says

The Star

timean hour ago

  • The Star

Turkey arrests ten suspects after wildfires, interior minister says

FILE PHOTO: A wildfire burns near Alacati in Izmir province, Turkey, July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Murat Kocabas/File Photo ISTANBUL (Reuters) -Turkish authorities arrested ten suspects in relation to wildfires that broke out across the country over the past week, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on Friday. The wildfires killed at least two people in western coastal province of Izmir as fire extinguishing teams supported by planes and helicopters struggled to contain the blazes. High temperatures, strong winds and low humidity also caused swift spread of the fires. Authorities determined that some of the 65 fires that broke out since June 26 were due to welding and agricultural machinery usage near the forest area and burning garden waste. Legal proceedings for 15 more suspects continue, Yerlikaya said. Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli said nine out of ten wildfires that teams were battling on Friday were largely under control while efforts to contain the fire in southeastern Hatay province will continue overnight. (Reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun, Editing by Nick Zieminski)

UK's Palestine Action loses bid to pause ban as terrorist group
UK's Palestine Action loses bid to pause ban as terrorist group

The Sun

timean hour ago

  • The Sun

UK's Palestine Action loses bid to pause ban as terrorist group

LONDON: Pro-Palestinian campaign group Palestine Action's co-founder on Friday lost a bid to pause the British government's decision to ban the group under anti-terrorism laws, with the group losing an urgent appeal meaning it will be banned from midnight. Huda Ammori, who helped found Palestine Action in 2020, asked London's High Court to stop the proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, before a full hearing of her case that banning the group is unlawful later this month. The High Court refused to pause the ban and, following a late-night hearing, the Court of Appeal rejected an appeal against that decision at just after 2130 GMT. British lawmakers this week decided to ban Palestine Action after its activists broke into a Royal Air Force base and damaged two planes in protest against what the group says is Britain's support for Israel. Proscription will make it a crime to be a member of Palestine Action that carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. Palestine Action has increasingly targeted Israel-linked companies in Britain, often spraying red paint, blocking entrances or damaging equipment. The group accuses the British government of complicity in what it says are Israeli war crimes in its ongoing bombardment of Gaza. Israel has repeatedly denied committing abuses in its war in Gaza, which began after Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023. Ammori's lawyer Raza Husain said the proscription marked the first time Britain had sought to ban a group carrying out such direct action, describing it as 'an ill-considered, discriminatory, authoritarian abuse of statutory power'. Critics of the government's decision, including some United Nations experts and civil liberties groups, have also argued that damaging property does not amount to terrorism. DEFENCE FIRMS TARGETED The group has particularly focused on Israeli defence firm Elbit Systems and Britain's government cited a raid at an Elbit site last year when it decided to proscribe the group. The decision to ban the group came as four members were charged over the incident at the RAF Brize Norton air base, in which military planes were sprayed with red paint. Husain said that was the only example of action targeting a government or military facility and previous incidents were against private companies, to support his argument against proscribing Palestine Action. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Britain's interior minister, has said violence and criminal damage have no place in legitimate protest and that Palestine Action's activities justify proscription. Judge Martin Chamberlain earlier ruled against Ammori's bid to pause the ban, saying that any harm to Palestine Action members or supporters did not outweigh 'the strong public interest in maintaining the order' to ban the group.

Huge explosion at Rome petrol station injures 45 people
Huge explosion at Rome petrol station injures 45 people

The Star

time8 hours ago

  • The Star

Huge explosion at Rome petrol station injures 45 people

A huge cloud of smoke rises after a gas station exploded on the outskirts of Rome, Italy, July 4, 2025. REUTERS/Matteo Minnella TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY ROME (Reuters) -A huge explosion at a petrol station in an eastern district of Rome on Friday injured at least 45 people, including 12 police officers and six firefighters, Italian authorities said. The blast at the distributor of petrol, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the working class Prenestino neighbourhood was heard across the capital just after 8 am (0600 GMT). The people hit by the explosion are being treated in local hospitals, Italian news agencies reported, with two in a critical condition due to extensive burns and needing ventilation support. Website Roma Today published a photograph of a huge ball of flame and smoke rising high into the sky. Separate images released by the fire department showed the petrol station almost completely gutted. "I pray for the people involved in the explosion of a gas station (...) in the heart of my Diocese. I continue to follow the developments of this tragic incident with concern," Pope Leo XIV wrote on X. Firefighters and ambulance workers were caught up in the blast as they had been called to the scene earlier, after a truck hit a pipeline at the petrol station, Italian media said. Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri, speaking from the scene, told reporters an incident during fuel-tank refilling operations was suspected, causing a gas leak, followed by a fire and the explosion. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni thanked the police, firefighters and other emergency services for helping to ensure "that this tragic event didn't have even more serious consequences." The station had the Eni brand but was not owned by the Italian energy group, the company said in a statement A sports centre that hosts a youth summer camp opposite the station was evacuated before the blast, a representative said in a Facebook video, adding that the five children in its care were safe and back with their families. (Additional reporting by Paolo Chiriatti in Rome and Francesca Landini in Milan; Editing by Kim Coghill and Gavin Jones)

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store