London, Jun 15 (PTI) The city of Nottingham in central England is in mourning on Thursday as it organised a second vigil in memory of three people killed in a brutal stabbing spree, including British Indian teenage cricket and hockey star Grace O'Malley Kumar.

Nottinghamshire Police revealed that the 31-year-old man tasered and arrested on suspicion of murder following the attacks on Tuesday morning was a former student of the University of Nottingham, where Indian Irish Grace was enrolled as a medical student.

Also Read | China Job Crisis: Chinese Graduates Go Viral With Pictures of Misery Amid Jobs Anxiety.

The force said a team of dedicated detectives and counter-terrorism experts are continuing to question the suspect and “building up a strong picture” of what happened. The police on Thursday got a court order to question the murder suspect in custody for another 36 hours before charges need to be filed.

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

Also Read | Themis Matsoukas, Penn State Professor, Arrested For Allegedly Performing Sex Acts on Pet Dog, Bestiality Horror Caught on Trail Camera.

“The families of all victims are being supported by specially trained officers. We are still working alongside Counter Terrorism Policing and keeping an ‘open mind' on the motives behind these attacks,” it said.

Earlier, Grace O'Malley Kumar, 19, was formally identified by the police force as one of the victims of the attack in the early hours of Tuesday.

She was killed soon after the fatal stabbing of her friend Barnaby Webber, also 19, and the third victim, 65-year-old Ian Coates, was stabbed to death soon after on a nearby street of the Nottingham city centre.

“Right now, this is a city in mourning… the whole city is shocked and devastated by this attack, which has killed three people and injured three – one of whom is in critical condition,” Nadia Whittome, British Indian MP from Nottingham, told reporters.

“Nothing like this has happened in Nottingham, certainly not in my lifetime. But our community does have a proud history of coming together and looking after one another in times like this and I know that this time will be no different,” she said.

On Wednesday, the University of Nottingham held a campus vigil in memory of the two students killed in the attack, which involved moving and tearful tributes from family, friends and fellow students.

"The love that we have out here, I just wish we had it everywhere. So, look after each other," said Dr Sanjoy Kumar, fighting back his tears for his daughter.

“Grace was not just a sister to James but his best friend. He is completely heartbroken. As parents, words cannot explain our complete and utter devastation. She will be so dearly missed,” he said, joined by his Irish wife Sinead and son James.

There was also some laughter amid the tearful tributes, as Dr Kumar – a respected general practitioner (GP) from London – spoke of trying to persuade his daughter to come back home to visit.

"Grace was also like Barnaby, she loved coming up to Nottingham – in fact we couldn't get her down [to London]," he said.

Grace, a first-year medical student, has been described as a talented hockey and cricket player who also played for the university.

Professor Shearer West, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nottingham, said: “Grace was a medical student, thriving in her first year of study and inspired to a career in medicine by work placements in a GP [general practitioner] surgery and her volunteering for the nationwide vaccination programme during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“She was a talented sportswoman, playing international hockey for both the U16 and U18 England Hockey Team and Essex U15 Women's Cricket. She was held in the highest regard by her tutors and teammates alike.”

UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman updated Parliament on the “horrific events” on Wednesday to confirm that it is not being treated as a terrorist attack.

“They are currently keeping an open mind as to the motives behind these attacks but I can confirm Nottinghamshire Police are being assisted in their inquiries by counter-terror police. Though, this does not mean that it is currently being treated as a terrorist attack,” said Braverman.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)