Liverpool City Centre has started to open up days after a car ploughed through Liverpool FC fans parading in the street.
On Monday, thousands of Liverpool fans joined the victory parade to commemorate the team’s second Premier League trophy before tragedy struck.
The celebrations quickly turned to horror when a 53-year-old man from West Derby driving a Ford Galaxy rammed into revellers, leaving 65 people injured.
Since the horrific attack, police have confirmed that the suspect has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and driving under the influence of drugs.
Details about the ongoing investigation are still emerging, but here is what we know about the incident.
What happened in Liverpool?
On Monday night, just after 6pm, a car appeared to deliberately drive into a group of Liverpool supporters, hurting a total of 65 people—four of them children.
The incident happened while the official football team of Liverpool, including Golden Boot winner Mohamed Salah, were travelling through the city to celebrate their Premier League victory.
The Liverpool football team had paraded the trophy through the region in an open-top bus, where the crowd had gathered to see them.
The collision occurred approximately one mile (1.6 km) ahead of the 10-mile (16 km) parade's finish line.
It’s understood that the car was able to get past the temporary road block by tailing an ambulance attending to reports of a person suffering from a heart attack.
In videos that went viral on social media, the car was shown zigzagging through the swarm of supporters wearing Liverpool FC merchandise.
Shocking footage captured by eyewitnesses then shows the car hitting a number of people on Water Street, throwing them into the air.
Merseyside Police later confirmed they were called shortly after and rushed to the scene, where they stepped in as angry crowds started to rush toward the car.
In a statement, police confirmed that a “53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area” was detained by the police, who stated they thought he was the driver of the vehicle.
A total of 50 of the 65 injured were reportedly treated at various local hospitals, but many of them have since been discharged.
One child was among the two individuals who had sustained severe injuries, and a total of 11 people still requiring hospital care as of Tuesday. They are all thought to be in a stable condition.
Was it a terrorist attack?
Far-right thugs and outspoken individuals were quick to accuse the attacker of being a terrorist on social media, but police quickly debunked this theory.
The tragic event is not being handled as a “terrorism case” according to the police, who also revealed that the driver was a white, British male.
Although police haven’t named the attacker, they have confirmed he was arrested for attempted murder, dangerous driving and driving under the influence of drugs.
Jenny Sims, temporary deputy chief constable, said in a statement: “We believe this to be an isolated incident, and we are not currently looking for anyone else in relation to it. The incident is not being treated as terrorism.”
During a news conference late on Monday, Liverpool City Council leader Liam Robinson said: “I would urge people not to speculate as to the motives behind this appalling incident and to allow Merseyside police to conduct their investigation.”
In its response, Liverpool FC said: “We are in direct contact with Merseyside Police regarding the incident on Water Street which happened towards the end of the trophy parade earlier this evening.”
Local rivals Everton joined in the tributes, adding: “Our thoughts are with all those who have been affected by this serious incident in our city.”
What did the witnesses say?
Les Winsper, a 55-year-old witness, described the events that transpired to The Guardian. He said: “People started banging on the (car) windows. Then they smashed the windows and he panicked and put his foot down.
“He then hit someone and that person has gone in the air and he's ploughed through the rest of them.
“I've never seen anything like it.”
Another witness claimed to have seen a car "speeding up" and colliding with pedestrians while out on a stroll with some friends.
The "car turned left, mounted pavement, come towards us and runs towards the buildings," Mike Maddra told the PA news agency.
He said “we got out the way and it was speeding up”. Mr Maddra stated that "it looked deliberate" and claimed to have witnessed two people being struck.
With cordons gradually being lifted around the scene, some Liverpool residents have left flowers and cards as well wishes to those impacted by the incident.
