Cardiff high street double murder: Suspect 'knew the victims'

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the bodies of a man and woman were found in a busy Cardiff city centre street following a suspected stabbing. The 33-year-old man and the 21-year-old woman were found in Queen Street in the Welsh capital at around 5.50am on 28 September.

Large parts of the pedestrianised area have been cordoned off while police investigate the incident. A 20-year-old man from Gwent has since been arrested and officers are not looking for anyone else in connection at this time. Police say the suspect was arrested within an hour of the incident being reported.

Post-mortem examinations will be carried out to determine the causes of the deaths, but police believe they died as a result of stab wounds.

Police believe the victims were known to the attacker and their deaths were not a result of a random attack. Police also ruled out terrorism as a motive and dismissed suggestions the pair were a homeless couple.

It was later confirmed that the man and woman were both workers at the Matalan on Queen Street. Chief executive Jason Hargreaves said: "It is with great sadness that we can confirm there was a fatal stabbing in Queen Street, Cardiff this morning.

"Police discovered the bodies of a man and a woman outside the premises at 6am and arrested one man, who is currently in police custody. Both of the victims worked at our Cardiff branch so understandably all of our colleagues are receiving our full support.

"We request that they are given the space to deal with this at this difficult time. We extend our condolences to the families of everyone involved."

Chief Superintendent Belinda Davies said: "This incident occurred in the main shopping area in the heart of the city in rush hour and it has no doubt shocked the community of Cardiff. Please be reassured that we have a team of officers investigating what happened and importantly we have a suspect in custody and we are not looking for anybody else.

"We are in the very early stages of the investigation but I would like to add that at this stage we believe the suspect was known to the victims and it was not a random assault. I would like to dispel speculation circulating as to the motive behind this tragic incident and make it clear that this is not being linked to terrorism, and any links to the homeless community are unfounded."

Police are also asking people not to share "graphic photographs" of the scene on social media. They added via Twitter: "Please be mindful this is a traumatic time for families involved."

A South Wales Police spokesperson said: "South Wales Police is investigating the deaths of a man and woman, following the discovery of two bodies in Queen Street Cardiff.

"Emergency Services attended the scene at approximately 05:50hrs on 28 September 2016. A man has been arrested and is currently in police custody and police are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident at this time. Further information will be released when available and appropriate."

A Welsh ambulance service spokesperson added: "We sent a paramedic in a rapid response car, three emergency ambulances and the trust's hazardous area response team to the scene."