Students on booze trail 'thought crossbow thug was in fancy dress' (2025)

Students may initially have mistaken the attacker who launched aterrifying crossbow rampage as a reveller in fancy dress and carried on drinking, it emerged today.

It came as counter-terror police revealed that one of the two women hurt in the attack - aged 19 and 31 - suffered life-threatening injuries in yesterday's daylight carnage in Leeds.

She was tonight in a stable condition following surgery, while the other victim has been discharged.

A male 'key' suspect, 38, was tonight in a critical condition in hospital due to a 'self-inflicted injury' following the incident near popular student pub crawl route The Otley Run.

Two weapons were recovered from the scene - a crossbow and a firearm, Counter Terrorism Policing North East said.

Police were todayguarding a modern block of flats less than a five-minute walk away where the suspect is understood to live.

A neighbour who knows him said: ‘The police have been there all night.

‘Those poor girls are never going to be the same.’

Damage was visible to cafe windows aslocals spoke of their horror at the carnage.

Residents and traders said believed many of the students did not realise what was happening because they were having such a good time.

Cries of 'What's happened?' were heard as students piled into local cafes at the end of the Otley Run route when they came under fire yesterday.

One of the cafes, The Gelateria, had its front door shattered, while police vehicles were parked outside, although it was unclearif the damage was connected to the incident.

Just minutes before it happened, the road was packed with students in fancy dress - some as the Pope - queuing to get into packed-out pubs.

Today Gregory Dritschel, 25, said: 'I have done the Otley Run myself but not for a year or two.

'But when I saw the police my first thought was it something to do with the Otley Run.

'It is a crowded run and an obvious target.

'There were quite a few people dressed as the Pope.'

Residents said the first thing they knew something was wrong was when they spotted revellers fleeing inside pubs along the route.

'There were quite a lot of people we saw piling into there,' one eye witness said.

Another horrified local said: 'It could have been a lot worse.

'I am glad they caught a suspect.

'The Run has been going on for years and it is so big now. It is just shocking.'

Robert Crapsey, originally from Ohio, has lived in Leeds in 17 years.

'Me and my daughter were coming up Otley Road as they started blocking everything off,' he said.

'There was a lot of police stopping the traffic. Some of the pub runners stopped but the rest carried on.

'I don't think they knew anything had happened.

'I just thought someone had been hit by a car.'

MrCrapsey said some of the revellers may have initially mistaken the attacker for a student in fancy dress.

'You see swords and scythes. People may have seen him and just thought he had a really bad costume.'

Local residentApril Place agreed, saying: 'They all dress up with axes and things so no one would have taken any notice.'

Visiting the scene, local councillor Julie Hesselwood said: 'We just want to say thank you to the police and ambulance service really quickly.

'They were here straightaway on Saturday afternoon and contained the incident.

'The paramedics were fantastic and took the three injured people to hospital.

'Luckily and thankfully there were no fatalities.

'It was a really nice on Saturday with a lot of people on the Otley Run.

'We are just thankful there were no fatalities.'

Ailith Harley Roberts, a mother to two teenage daughters who runs a cafe nearby, said: 'It feels really close to home.

'I have two teenage daughters who are still at school. But one is 17 and will be at university next and wanting to be out and about.

'So we are feeling very vulnerable and wary.'

Vicky and Steve Wilson had been visiting their university student daughter from Hull and narrowly missed the carnage.

'We hope the girls are all right,' Mr Wilson, 54, said.

'The injuries will change their lives.'

Officers were called to Otley Road in the Headingley area of Leeds at around 3pm yesterday, with West Yorkshire Police later declaring a major incident.

Several areas are cordoned off along the road, and buses were stopped with passengers forced to get off.

Now Counter Terrorism Policing North East have taken the lead on the investigation, with the support of West Yorkshire Police, as they continue to make enquiries to establish the circumstances and motive behind the attack.

They have emphasised that efforts to establish what has happened are at an early stage.

Shocking footage has emerged of a man strolling along a street in Leeds, carrying items in both hands.

This eveningpolice said the crossbow suspect was in a critical condition as a result of the self-inflicted injury sustained at the scene.

They revealed that one of the injured women had undergone surgery after suffering life-threatening injuries and was now in a stable condition.

The other has since been discharged.

Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, said: ‘The investigation continues and officers are working at pace to establish the full facts and circumstances of Saturday’s incident.

‘We are not currently seeking anyone else in connection with this matter, which has caused understandable concern.

'We believe it was an isolated incident.’