Police say driver who ploughed into Liverpool soccer fans acted alone, not believed to be terrorism

A 53-year-old white British man, who ploughed a minivan into a crowd of Liverpool soccer fans and was arrested, was believed to be the only one involved in the incident and it was not being investigated as an act of terrorism, police said.

A 53-year-old white British man ploughed a minivan into a crowd of Liverpool soccer fans who were celebrating the city’s Premier League championship Monday (May 26, 2025), injuring more than 45 people as shouts of joy turned into shrieks of terror.

The driver arrested was believed to be the only one involved in the incident and it was not being investigated as an act of terrorism, police said.

Ambulances took 27 people to the hospital, including two with serious injuries, and another 20 people were treated at the scene for minor injuries, said Dave Kitchin of North West Ambulance Service. At least four children were injured.

Four of the victims, including a child, were trapped under the van and firefighters had to lift the vehicle to free them. A paramedic on bicycle was also struck but was not injured.

“It has cast a very dark shadow over what had been a joyous day for the city," City Council leader Liam Robinson said at a late night news conference.

As the parade was wrapping up, a grey minivan turned onto the parade route and ploughed into the sea of fans wrapped in their red Liverpool scarves, jerseys and other memorabilia. A video on social media showed the van strike a man, tossing him in the air, before veering into a larger crowd, where it ploughed a path through the group and pushed bodies along the street before coming to a stop.

“It was extremely fast,” said Harry Rashid, who was with his wife and two young daughters as the minivan passed by them. “Initially, we just heard the pop, pop, pop of people just being knocked off the bonnet of a car.”