[LIVERPOOL] A car rammed into a packed crowd celebrating Liverpool’s Premier League title victory on Monday leaving 27 people hospitalised, but police said they were ruling out terrorism.
“We believe this to be an isolated incident, and we are not currently looking for anyone else in relation to it,” Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims told a press conference, adding a 53-year-old white British man had been arrested.
“The incident is not being treated as terrorism,” she added.
Some 27 football fans were hospitalised, including two who were seriously injured, after a dark-coloured vehicle swerved through the huge crowds hitting people in its path, minutes after the players’ open-topped bus passed by.
Four children were among those hurt, including one seriously.
Tens of thousands of people had turned out in torrential rain for the jubilant celebrations to see the north-west English side’s victory parade, involving players on an open-topped bus and fireworks.
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The bus carrying the team had passed by Water Street just minutes before the car ran into the crowd, witnesses told media.
“It was extremely fast,” said Harry Rashid, 48, from Solihull, near Birmingham, central England, who was at the parade with his wife and two young daughters.
“Initially we just heard the pop, pop, pop of people just being knocked off the bonnet of the car,” he told reporters.
“It was horrible and you could hear the bumps as he was going over the people.”
Merseyside Police called for calm and said the arrested man was “a 53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area”, and urged people not to speculate about what had happened.
Witness Mike Maddra said the “car turned left mounted pavement, come towards us and runs towards the buildings.”
He said “we got out the way and it was speeding up”.
Cordons were put in place and ambulances and a fire engine were also at the scene, with the injured being treated on the street.
‘Appalling’
North West Ambulance Service said its crews were “assessing the situation” with other emergency services.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the scenes in Liverpool “appalling”.
“My thoughts are with all those injured or affected,” he wrote on X, adding he was being updated on the investigation.
BBC reporter Matt Cole who was at the parade with his family said: “There were screams ahead of us and suddenly this dark blue car just came through the crowd.
“It just wasn’t stopping. I managed to grab my daughter who was with me and jump out of the way,” he said, adding the car “missed myself and my family by literally inches”.
Images shared on social media showed the car being brought to a halt and swarmed by angry fans, who broke the back windows as police sought to hold them back.
Liverpool had earlier been a sea of red as hundreds of thousands of supporters packed the city’s streets, on a national holiday, to celebrate winning the Premier League title with Arne Slot’s successful squad.
Star players Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk led the festivities alongside their team-mates on the top deck of the bus.
‘Difficult day’
Plumes of red smoke from flares had filled the air as the players took four hours to cover the 16 km route.
Liverpool FC said on X they were working with Merseyside police, adding: “Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by this serious incident”.
And Liverpool metro mayor, Steve Rotheram, said it was “a difficult day for our city region, but we stand together”.
Everton, Liverpool’s Merseyside rivals also said the club’s “thoughts are with all those who have been affected by this serious incident in our city”.
Liverpool’s record-equalling 20th English top-flight title was secured nearly a month ago as Slot’s men wrapped up the Premier League with four games to spare.
However, they were only presented with the trophy after Sunday’s final match against Crystal Palace.
Despite Liverpool’s storied history, the club’s fanbase had been waiting 35 years to collectively celebrate a league title.
When Jurgen Klopp’s side ended a 30-year drought without winning the league in 2020, there was no parade due to coronavirus restrictions.
Liverpool’s football history has been shadowed by tragedy.
In 1989, 97 Liverpool fans died in a crush at a game in the Hillsborough stadium in Sheffield.
More than 760 people were also injured in the deadliest disaster in British sporting history, which still scars the port city.
In 1985, 39 mainly Italian fans were killed when a wall collapsed amidst disturbances between Liverpool and Juventus fans at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels. AFP
