One dead and seven injured in Birmingham stabbings

One man has died and seven others have been injured in a series of stabbings in the centre of the English city of Birmigham last night, police confirmed on Sunday that they do not link the events to terrorism.

In a statement, the West Midlands (central England) police say they have launched "a murder investigation", after saying that, in addition to the dead man, another man and a woman were "seriously injured", while five other people were injured to a lesser extent.

"We believe that the incidents, which occurred between 12.30 and 2.20 (local time), are linked and we are doing everything we can to find those responsible," the note states.

At a press appearance, Chief Superintendent Steve Graham stressed that efforts are focused on finding the perpetrators and "understanding exactly what happened", while asking the public to contact him if they have relevant information.

Earlier, an alleged witness to the events, Cara Curran, told BBC Radio Live that it was "one group of kids against another", who faced fisticuffs on a night out, and said she heard "racist insults".

Police have called the incident "a serious incident" and, while calling for calm and vigilance, are keeping several streets cordoned off while experts analyse the crime scenes.

During a speech this morning on the "Andrew Marr Show" on BBC One, Foreign Minister Dominic Raab confirmed that he had "received no information" that "links the stabbings" to a case of terrorism.