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COPS have been given more time to question the suspect behind the knife and van rampage that killed three people in Nottingham.

The 31-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder at 5.30am on Tuesday after two students – Barnaby Webber and Grace Kumar – and school caretaker Ian Coates were stabbed to death.

The suspect remains in police custody after an extension to the normal 24-hour hold time was granted.

He will now be held for questioning for as long as four days.

The force was granted an extension to keep the suspect in custody for up to 96 hours at around 3.15pm yesterday, Nottinghamshire Live reports.

The man, believed to be of West African origin, was Tasered and cuffed after allegedly running at cops with a knife on Maples Street in the city at 5.30am.

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One was left in critical condition while two others had minor injuries.

Some 90 minutes earlier, at 4am, Barney was slashed multiple times on Ilkeston Road, 300 yards from their halls, while walking home from a nightclub with Grace.

Grace screamed for help but was then attacked and also died – as the knifeman fled the scene.

Terrified bystanders dialled 999 at 4.04am.

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Meanwhile, at 4.08am a man clad all in black was captured on CCTV trying to break into a homeless shelter four miles away on Mapperley Road.

He failed after a resident punched him as he tried to climb through an open window on the ground floor.

Cops said the man matched the description of their suspect.

Mr Coates' body was found just yards away at 5.30am, after his van was used to ram into three people at a bus stop on Milton Street in the city centre.

Cops are trying to piece together what happened in the hour between the horrific events.

They think the knifeman dragged Mr Coates out of the van before fatally stabbing him and jumping in the driver's seat.

Chief Constable Kate Meynell, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "A man in his 50s was also found dead from knife injuries by a member of the public.

"We believe the suspect stole this man's van, drove it to Milton street and at members of the public. We are working to investigate the motive behind the attack."

Ian's son Lee Coates has said “I’m broken” and that he is “still in shock” after learning his dad was the third victim of an attacker’s knife and van rampage.

What we know:

• "Major incident" declared in Nottingham and six roads closed
• Police confirm two people found dead on Ilkeston Road just after 4am
• School caretaker Ian Coates, 65, was found dead on nearby Magdala Road in city centre
• Three others injured – one critically – after van tried to mow them down on Milton Street
• Witness tells of hearing gunshots before cops swarmed van on Maples Street, seeing a man arrested on suspicion of murder
• A second witness recalled the horrific moment she discovered the first victim of the attack
• Terror cops with assault rifles raid home on Ilkeston Road
• Cops reveal they're not looking for anyone else in connection to tragedy
• It was revealed the Nottingham suspect is a foreign national with "mental health issues"
• The lone-wolf Nottingham attacker was known to MI5
• Police say they believe the suspect stole the van before mowing people down
• Grace Kumar and Barnaby Webster, both 19, were named as victims of the attack
• Timeline reveals how horror unfolded
• Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pays tribute to victims
• The suspect tried to get inside the open window of a bail hostel minutes after the attack

The suspect is a foreign national suspected to have a history of mental health problems, but who was legally living in the UK, according to The Times.

He does not have a criminal record, but was known to MI5 because he knocked on its door asking for help.

A witness to the first killings told the BBC: “I had the window open and I just heard some awful, blood-curdling screams.

“I looked out of the window and saw a guy all in black with a hood and rucksack grappling with some people. She was screaming ‘help’. I just wish I’d shouted something to unnerve the assailant.

“I saw him stab the lad first and then the woman. It was repeated stabbing — four or five times.

“The lad collapsed in the middle of the road. The girl stumbled and didn’t move. The attacker walked off as calm as anything.”

The two students were murdered five minutes from home after walking back from an end-of-term party at the city’s Pryzm club.

They were sports-mad first-year undergraduates at the University of Nottingham.

VIGIL

Barnaby and Grace's dads fought back tears at a vigil last night as they told a "sea" of devastated pupils to "look after each other".

Barnaby's dad David and Grace's father Dr Sanjoy thanked everyone for paying tribute at the vigil at the University of Nottingham.

Grace’s tearful mum Sinead was comforted by Barnaby’s mother Emma as the heartbreaking vigil went on.

HOW THE HORROR ATTACK HAPPENED

A KNIFEMAN went on an horror rampage in Nottingham on Tuesday morning, killing three people:

4.04am

Police were called to Ilkeston Road after two people were attacked by a man with a knife.

The two students, Barnaby Webber and Grace Kumar, both 19, were unresponsive when police arrived.

A witness told the BBC he saw a young man and young woman being stabbed.

The man, who did not give his name, said he heard "awful, blood-curdling screams" and looked out of his window to see a "black guy dressed all in black with a hood and rucksack grappling with some people".

He told the broadcaster: "She was screaming, 'Help!' I just wish I'd shouted something out of the window to unnerve the assailant.

"I saw him stab the lad first and then the woman. It was repeated stabbing – four or five times. The lad collapsed in the middle of the road.

"The girl stumbled towards a house and didn't move. The next minute she had disappeared down the side of a house and that's where they found her.

"I'd say it all happened within five or six minutes. The attacker then just walked off up Ilkeston Road towards town, as calm as anything."

4.08am

A man "matching the description of the suspect" tried to gain access to supported living complex in Mapperley Road.

CCTV footage showed he was hit in the face walking away.

5am

Police officers knock on doors in Ilkeston Road asking for CCTV footage, according to residents.

Police believe the suspect then attacked Ian Coates and stole his van.

A passerby dialled 999 and police arrived to find the school caretaker dead on Magdela Road with knife injuries.

5.30am

The stolen van was then used to drive at three people waiting at a bus stop on Milton Street.

Lynn Haggitt said: "He looked in his mirror, saw a police car behind him. He then quickened up. There were two people, two in the corner, he went straight into these two people.

"The woman went on the kerb, the man went up in the air. There was such a bang. I wish I never saw it. It's really shaken me up.

"I went over. Perhaps I shouldn't have gone over but I wanted to see if I could help.

"He (the van driver) backed up after he hit… and drove up Parliament Street.

"The woman was sitting up on the kerb. She looked OK. The man was laying down but then he got up, sat on the side waiting for an ambulance," Ms Haggitt said.

She added: "I can't believe he was able to get up after the head wound."

One man was taken to hospital in a critical condition while two others suffered minor injuries.

Just after 5.30am

Police Tasered a man after he abandoned the van and was said to have run at cops with a knife on Bentinck Road.

He was arrested on suspicion of murder.

It was sombre scenes as the pals' teammates wept, while fellow students could be seen wiping away tears that streamed down their faces.

In a brief statement, an emotional David said: "I'm lost for words.

"I've lost my baby boy and I can't even comprehend how I'm going to deal with it…myself and Emma and Charlie and his family and friends.

"Well I know Barney would be super touched by everyone that's here.

"He loved it here. He couldn't wait to come back. It drove me mad. His heart will be with you guys forever.

"Thank you so much. I really can't talk much more."

Grace's dad Dr Sanjoy Kumar added "it's such a lovely sign of the bond you have" before saying "love everyone".

He told crowds: "To everyone here, I really want to thank you for your support, for taking the time to be here. 

"All of you guys, everywhere I look I see a sea of people. Such a lovely sign of the university and the bond you have.

"Grace was also like Barney, she loved coming up to Nottingham, in fact, we couldn't get her down.

"I said to her last week, 'come down', and she said, 'well after I've had a few more sessions' [nights out]. I used to call them her crisis meetings.

"The love that we have out here I just wish that we had it everywhere.

"Look after each other. Look after your friends, and look after people around you. It's so important."

CRICKET STARS

Barnaby's devastated family have described their “complete devastation” at the “senseless murder of our son”.

His parents David and Emma Webber added that he was a “beautiful, brilliant, bright young man, with everything in life to look forward to”.

They said: "At 19 he was just at the start of his journey into adulthood and was developing into a wonderful young man.

"As parents we are enormously proud of everything he achieved and all the plans he had made.

"His brother is bereft beyond belief."

Barney, who has a younger brother Charles, was a talented hockey player and celebrated winning the under-14  county championship with schoolmates in 2018.

Grace played hockey for Southgate in London and had made it into the England squad for her age group.

Grace’s dad Dr Sanjoy Kumar saved victims of a gang stabbing in Chingford, Essex, in 2009.

He helped move three knifed teens, aged 15, 16 and 17 to a makeshift trauma room in his surgery before 999 crews arrived.

Woodford Wells Cricket Club, in Essex, said Grace was "fun, friendly and brilliant".

"Devastated to hear the news about former Wells Baby Belles captain, Grace Kumar," the club Tweeted.

"A fiercely competitive, talented and dedicated cricketer and hockey player.

"Our thoughts are with Sanjoy, Sinead and James at this time and everyone who knew Grace – fun, friendly and brilliant."

Southgate Hockey Club added that Grace was a "huge talent and much-loved member of Southgate U18's & W1's."

They added: "We are shocked & devastated by the news. Our thoughts and sincere condolences are with Grace’s family, friends and teammates."

Grace was a brand ambassador for equipment supplier Gryphon Hockey Ltd.

Director Colin Burnell said: "We are all shocked and saddened by news of the tragic deaths of Grace Kumar and her friend Barnaby Webber yesterday.

“It was our pleasure and privilege to support Grace in her hockey career. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences are with their family and friends at this time."

It is understood Barney and Grace met through their shared love of hockey.

On Monday, hundreds of students went to Pryzm for its Quids In! Imma Student Get Me Out Of Here night until 4am.

SHOCKING ATTACK

A third-year student, 21, was the first person to come across the fatally wounded pair while getting an Uber home alone.

She told The Times: "We were driving past and saw this body in the road. The road was completely empty.

"At first I thought it was a mannequin but when the Uber driver swerved to avoid it I saw it was a body.

"The Uber driver called the police and I got out and ran towards the body.

"I was the first one there and I could see he wasn’t responding. He was face-up in a white T-shirt and blue jeans.

"You could see he was covered in stabbed wounds from his neck to his toes."

Amazon delivery driver Miklos Toldi, 37, later found Mr Coates' body on the side of a road.

He said: “I saw a body lying by the side of the road and the blood trailing down the road. My first reaction was he was a drunk.”

Another witness described how the van smashed into a bus stop in the town centre.

Witness Lynn Haggitt told Channel 4 News she saw a van hitting two people in Nottingham in the early hours of the morning.

She said: "At half past five I saw a van pull up at the side of me. It was white, all white. There was a police car behind it coming up slowly, no flashing lights."

Ms Haggitt also told BBC News she saw a man being thrown "up in the air" after being hit by van.

"The woman went on the kerb, the man went up in the air," she added.

Another witness claimed they heard gunshots following the tragedy.

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They told GB News: "We woke up this morning at about 5:30am to what sounded like gunshots – we ran to the window and there was armed police coming out of an undercover car.

"The suspect was Tasered and dragged out by them and then arrested."

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