Nottingham stabbing: University of Nottingham alumnus identified as suspected killer.

The Alleged Suspect in Nottingham Stabbings Identified as Former University Student

The alleged suspect in the fatal stabbing of three people in Nottingham, England, earlier this week, has been identified as a former engineering student at the University of Nottingham.

Valdo Calocane, the sole suspect in the murder case, graduated from the university last year with a degree in mechanical engineering, according to a university pamphlet. He was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of murdering 19-year-old university students Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Barnaby Webber, who were in their first year at the University of Nottingham.

Police Investigate Motives Behind the Attacks

“We are still working alongside Counter Terrorism Policing and keeping an ‘open mind’ on the motives behind these attacks,” the department said in a statement on Thursday. “The suspect is a former University of Nottingham student but at this time, it is not believed to be connected with the attack.”

Calocane, who is 31 years old, has been living in England legally for at least 10 years, according to the Daily Mail. But he is believed to be originally from West Africa. He has a history of mental health issues, which is believed to be a reason for the alleged attack. Although counterterrorism police are assisting in the investigation, they are not running it.

The knife attack also resulted in the death of school caretaker Ian Coates, who was 65. Calocane then allegedly used Coates’s van to run over three pedestrians. One of the pedestrians hit by the car remains in serious condition and was identified as factory worker Wayne Birkett. The other two victims, who have not been named, have suffered minor injuries.

Webber was studying history at the university, and Kumar was a first-year medical student at the time of the stabbings. Both were athletes.

“Barnaby Philip John Webber was a beautiful, brilliant, bright young man, with everything in life to look forward to,” Webber’s family said in a statement. “He was a talented and passionate cricketer, who was over the moon to have made selection to his university cricket team. 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.”

Kumar was described by her family as “resilient, and wise beyond her years.” The families, including Coates’s, have asked for privacy as they mourn their loved ones.

Nottingham police have been granted an additional 36 hours to question Calocane. Detectives have gathered CCTV footage, forensics, and eyewitness accounts, and searched properties for a fuller picture of Tuesday’s activities, but no further arrests have been made.

Vigils to honor the victims of the knife attack have been going on in Nottingham this week, with a third vigil scheduled for Thursday evening.

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