What happened
British police arrested a 53-year-old citizen Monday after a minivan plowed into a Liverpool crowd celebrating their soccer team’s Premier League victory parade through the city. Officials said last night that 27 people were hospitalized following the attack, including a child and adult with serious injuries, and a further 20 people were treated at the scene. The driver was believed to have acted alone and police are not treating the attack as terrorism.
Who said what
Liverpool FC clinched their victory in England’s top-tier soccer tournament last month, tying Manchester United’s record of 20 League titles, but the season did not end until Sunday. The attack Monday “has cast a very dark shadow over what had been a joyous day for the city,” Liverpool City Council leader Liam Robinson said at a news conference.
“Everyone, especially children, should be able to celebrate their heroes without this horror,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said. “Liverpool stands together and the whole country stands with Liverpool.”
What next?
“Global episodes involving vehicles being driven into crowds have become increasingly common,” including deadly attacks in New Orleans and Munich earlier this year, The New York Times said. Liverpool police “identified the suspect as white, in a possible decision to prevent misinformation from flooding social media,” CBS News said. Online rumors after a stabbing attack last summer led to rioting in England and Northern Ireland.
27 people were hospitalized following the attack