Driver in Liverpool parade ramming arrested for attempted murder, believed to have been on drugs in attack
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(LIVERPOOL, England) — The suspect accused of ramming a car into a crowd in Liverpool at a Premier League victory parade on Monday has been arrested for attempted murder, reckless driving and is believed to have been on drugs during the attack, officials said during a press conference on Tuesday.
Merseyside Police said on Tuesday that 65 people were injured from the attack, and 11 — all in stable condition — still remain in the hospital.
Officials said a robust traffic plan was in place for the parade, which included Water Street — where the attack occurred. But, the street was temporarily reopened for an ambulance to treat someone suffering a suspected heart attack, and the 53-year-old suspect followed the ambulance inside the crowd.
The attack is still not being treated as a terrorism and authorities are continuing their investigation. The suspect remains in custody and is being interviewed by officials.
Police said they will not speculate on the attack and encourage others to “refrain from sharing distressing content online.”
(WASHINGTON) — The Venezuelan 2-year-old who was kept in U.S. government custody after her parents were deported has been returned to Venezuela.
In a video posted to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s YouTube page, Maduro is seen greeting the toddler upon the toddler’s return.
The toddler, Maikelys Antonella Espinoza, is seen in the video being carried by Venezuelan first lady Cilia Flores before being handed over to the toddler’s mother, Yorley Inciarte, who had been deported two weeks ago from the United States.
Espinoza’s return comes after Maduro and other Venezuelan government officials accused the Trump administration of kidnapping the 2-year old.
Last month, the Department of Homeland Security labeled Inciarte and her partner Maiker Espinoza Escalona as “Tren de Aragua parents,” alleging the two are members of the Venezuelan criminal gang.
Escalona was sent to the CECOT mega-prison in El Salvador on March 30 under Title 8 authorities. Inciarte was deported two weeks ago to Venezuela without her daughter.
“The child’s father, Maiker Espinoza-Escalona is a lieutenant of Tren De Aragua who oversees homicides, drug sales, kidnappings, extortion, sex trafficking and operates a torture house,” DHS said in a statement. “The child’s mother, Yorely Escarleth Bernal Inciarte oversees recruitment of young women for drug smuggling and prostitution.”
“Everything is false,” Inciarte told ABC News in an interview last week. “Here I am waiting for the evidence they have because if they are accusing me, it’s because they have proof of what they are saying — but here I am waiting.”
“When my partner and my daughter arrive here, the only thing I think about is staying here in my country, because the only one who supported me and fought alongside me was my country, no one else,” Inciarte said. “And I will never, ever abandon my homeland. I won’t even mention the United States, it will never come up. Because what I experienced in that country was so horrible, I don’t even want to talk about how bad it is.”
(LIVERPOOL) — A driver struck pedestrians in Liverpool on Monday, police said, as hundreds of thousands had gathered at a parade celebrating the Liverpool Football Club winning the English Premier League soccer title.
The vehicle collided with “a number of pedestrians on Water Street” just after 6 p.m. local time, Merseyside Police said.
The car stopped at the scene and a 53-year-old British man has been arrested, according to police.
“Extensive enquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances leading up to the collision,” Merseyside Police said in an update while asking the public “not to speculate on the circumstances surrounding tonight’s incident.”
Police also asked people to send related footage to them and “not to share distressing content online.”
Emergency personnel are at the scene, authorities said. Police did not have details on any injuries in the collision.
United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the incident “shocking.”
“The scenes in Liverpool are appalling — my thoughts are with all those injured or affected,” Starmer said in a statement. “I’m being kept updated on developments and ask that we give the police the space they need to investigate.”
The Liverpool Football Club said it is in contact with police regarding the incident, which occurred toward the end of the parade.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by this serious incident,” the club said in a statement. “We will continue to offer our full support to the emergency services and local authorities who are dealing with this incident.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(ODESA, UKRAINE) — At least two people were killed in the Ukrainian city of Odesa overnight into Tuesday morning amid another night of intense nationwide Russian drone and missile strikes.
Ukraine’s air force said in a post to Telegram that Russia launched a total of 322 “air attack vehicles” into the country, among them 315 drones and seven missiles. The air force said 277 drones were shot down or otherwise neutralized, as were seven missiles.
Kyiv’s military administration said that at least four people were injured. “The majority of the damage was sustained by civilian infrastructure,” the administration wrote in a post to Telegram.
Two people were also killed in Odesa, local authorities said, with nine others injured. Among the buildings hit in the Black Sea coastal city were a maternity hospital and an emergency medical center, officials said.
Closer to the front, local officials said that three people were killed and eight injured in the eastern Donetsk region by artillery fire and drone attacks. One person was killed and eight injured in the southern city of Kherson, local authorities said.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post to social media that Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipro and Chernihiv regions were targeted. Russia’s bombardment included at least two North Korean-made ballistic missiles, he added.
“Residential buildings and urban infrastructure were damaged,” Zelenskyy wrote. “In Odesa, even a maternity hospital became a Russian target. Thirteen people were injured. Tragically, there are fatalities. My condolences to the families.”
“It is vital that the response to this and other similar Russian attacks is not silence from the world, but concrete action,” Zelenskyy said in his statement.
“Action from America, which has the power to force Russia into peace,” he continued. “Action from Europe, which has no alternative but to be strong. Action from others around the world who called for diplomacy and an end to the war — and whom Russia has ignored. There must be strong pressure for the sake of peace.”
Ukraine continued its own drone strike campaign overnight, according to Russia’s Defense Ministry. Russian forces downed 103 Ukrainian drones on Monday night and Tuesday morning, the ministry said in a post to Telegram.
Monday night’s attacks came 24 hours after Russian forces targeted regions throughout Ukraine with more than 470 attack drones — one of the largest aerial strikes of the war, according to Ukraine’s air force.
Earlier Monday, Russia and Ukraine held the first stage of a prisoner swap following an agreement reached during peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey.
ABC News’ Oleskiy Pshemyskiy, Morgan Winsor and Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.
