Two 19-year-olds and man in his 50s were killed in the Nottingham attacks, police said.
The students were stabbed to death in Ilkeston Road at about 4am on Tuesday while the man’s body was found in Magdala Road.
At a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Nottinghamshire Police Chief Constable Kate Meynell said it was believed the older man’s van had been stolen and was driven at three people in Milton Street.
One man remains in hospital in a critical condition while two others suffered minor injuries following that incident.
A 31-year-old man remains in police custody after being arrested on suspicion of murder.
The University of Nottingham said two of the victims were students at the university.
A statement read: “It is with great sadness that we confirm the sudden and unexpected death of two of our students following a major incident in Nottingham city centre overnight.
“We are shocked and devastated by the news and our thoughts are with those affected, their families and friends. We know this is likely to cause distress for staff and students in our community.”
Ms Meynell, speaking outside a police station in the city, said: “Police were called to Ilkeston Road just after 4am after a member of the public reported that two people aged 19 had been stabbed and were unresponsive.
“We had a further call to another incident in Milton Street, where the driver of a stolen van had attempted to run over three people. As a result, one man is in hospital in a critical condition while two others are believed to have suffered minor injuries.
“The van was then stopped on Maple Street, where a man was tasered and detained by police officers on suspicion of murder. A man in his 50s was also found dead from knife injuries in Magdala Road by a member of the public.
“At the moment, we believe that the suspect has stolen this man’s vehicle and driven it to Milton Street, where he is then driven at members of the public.
“We are still in the early stages of the investigation. I need to determine exactly what the motives were behind this attack.”
Ms Meynell added: “We are keeping an open mind and are working closely with counter-terrorism policing to establish the facts as we would normally do in this type of circumstance.
“The families of all the victims have been informed and are being supported by specially-trained officers.
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“Officers have also carried out a number of searches of addresses across the city to gather evidence, but no further arrests have been made.
Suella Braverman said “we’re in a very early stage of the investigation” when asked whether the attack could have been terror-related.
The Home Secretary told broadcasters in Westminster: “We need to allow the police the time and the space to carry out all of their operational activity to determine the motive.
“It’s right that Nottinghamshire Police are working with Counter Terrorism Policing. But it’s also fair to say that everybody and all professionals on the front line are keeping an open mind as to what the precise motive might have been.”
