Nottingham attacks suspect has been identified as Valdo Calocane, a former student at University of Nottingham and a mechanical engineering graduate, LBC reported.

Detectives were granted another 36 hours to question the suspect held in connection with the murder of three people in the city, Nottinghamshire Police said.

“A team of dedicated detectives is continuing to question the suspect and building up a strong picture of what happened that morning,” police stated.

“This has included CCTV gathering, forensics, eye-witness accounts and searching a number of properties in the city.”

Horrific attacks

Valdo Calocane, 31, was arrested at around 5.30am on Tuesday 13 June after three people were tragically killed and three others injured in “major” police incident that locked out the city.

Police were called to Ilkeston Road just after 4am where two 19-year-old University of Nottingham students were found dead in the street. They were formally identified on Wednesday 14 June as Barnaby Philip John Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar.

A 65-year-old man has also been found dead in Magdala Road who was later identified as Ian Robert Coates.

Calocane then attempted to run over a man in the Milton Street area, who remains in a serious condition in hospital.

He then tried to run over two other pedestrians in the Sherwood Street area who are believed to have suffered minor injuries. 

Nottinghamshire Police said: “We have referred this part of the incident to the IOPC, as a marked police car followed behind the suspect’s van for a short distance before it collided with the two pedestrians.”

Police then detained the suspect by using a taser when the vehicle was stopped.

Nottinghamshire Police stated: “We are still working alongside Counter Terrorism Policing and keeping an ‘open mind’ on the motives behind these attacks.

“The suspect is a former University of Nottingham student but at this time, it is not believed to be connected with the attack.”

Suspect from hard working and devoutly Christian family

It has since emerged that the Nottingham attacks suspect was a former University of Nottingham student, who came to the UK in 2007 with his parents, who are from Guinea-Bissau in West Africa.

Valdo Calocane graduated from University of Nottingham in 2022 where he studied mechanical engineering.

He had lived not far from Ilkestone Road, where Barnaby and Grace were attacked.

His father Amissao was working on Madeira, the Portuguese island, and gained citizenship there before moving to the UK.

The 55-year-old brought his wife and three children with him and they settled as EU citizens.

Family was “amazing” and lovely”

The family lived in Haverfordwest in Wales. There, they regularly attended church while Amissao worked as a carer and Calocane’s mother Celeste worked as a nurse at Withyshaw Hospital.

Hazel Vaughan, the wife of Calvary Church, said the family was “amazing” and “lovely”.

Their children were known as being bright and successful while at school in the area. Calocane’s younger brother went on to study computer science at Cambridge while his sister is considered gifted.

A neighbour, Marlene Raymond, 55, told the Daily Mail: “I can picture the eldest boy now in his school uniform. He was very smart and handsome.

“He was very bright, all three children are – they are a nice family and have been lovely neighbours for over 15 years.”

“He seemed like a normal guy”

A former housemate told the Daily Mail: “He seemed like a normal guy, I didn’t know him too well but he didn’t do drugs or drink much.

“He came from Guinea originally but had been in the UK for some time.

“What he did tell me was that he struggled with his mental health. He said he heard and saw things that weren’t there.

“I lived with him for a year in 2020. He was studying for a masters in mechanical engineering.

“We lost contact but I think he graduated last year and was still living in Nottingham.”

Suspect tried to get in MI5 headquarters

It emerged on Wednesday that the suspect was known to MI5 because he turned up to the agency’s London headquarters and tried to get in.

He was told to move on and his name was taken down when he arrived at Thames House and knocked on the door in August last year.

His name is understood to have come up as spies searched for any information about the suspect.