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Posted: 2017-06-25 10:26:47

Updated June 26, 2017 00:47:25

At least six people were injured when a car mounted a pavement outside a sports centre in the northern English city of Newcastle, but the incident is not believed to be terrorism-related, police say.

Northumbria Police said the vehicle had crashed into pedestrians outside the Westgate Sports Centre about 9:14am on Sunday (local time).

"Police enquiries are ongoing to establish exactly what happened but, at this time, it is not believed to be a terror incident," police said in a statement.

Local media reported hundreds of people were celebrating Eid, marking the end of Islam's holy month of Ramadan, at the sports centre.

Witnesses said it appeared the female driver had lost control of her car.

In footage of the incident shared on social media, large crowds of people can be heard screaming as they run outside the sports complex and surround emergency vehicles.

Three children and three adults were being treated at a local hospital for injuries sustained in the crash, the ambulance service said.

A 42-year-old woman was in police custody.

Newcastle MP Chi Onwurah said she had been told the incident was a "terrible accident".

The UK has been on high alert after a number of terror attacks in recent months.

Most recently, 47-year-old Darren Osborne was charged with terrorism-related murder and attempted murder after he allegedly drove a van into a group of Muslim worshippers as they were leaving a mosque in Finsbury Park in London on June 19, killing one man.

Seven people were killed along with the three attackers when terrorists drove through pedestrians on London Bridge and then began stabbing people in Borough Market on June 3.

A suicide bomber struck at a concert in Manchester on May 22, killing 22 people and injuring dozens.

Five people were killed in March when an extremist mounted the pavement on London's Westminster Bridge in a car and then stabbed a policeman outside the Houses of Parliament.

ABC and wires

Topics: law-crime-and-justice, united-kingdom

First posted June 25, 2017 20:26:47

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