A CROSSBOW maniac prowled a busy student street for women to kill before shooting two.

Chilling Facebook posts shared by Owen Lawrence, 38, outlined his plan for the heinous attack which left two women injured in Leeds.

The killer then shot himself and later died in hospital.

In the posts, Lawrence outlines plans for “The Otley Run massacre”.

Otley is a popular student area in Leeds where fancy dress-clad people take to bar crawls along a two-and-a-half-mile route.

He describes his planned “attack type” as “spree killing, mass murder, terrorism” which has been motivated by “revenge” and “misogynistic rage”. It tells how the sender had “explored far-Right ideas”.

The chilling post has emerged after a video captured the suspect walking to the area at around 3pm.

He was dressed in black and armed with weapons including the crossbow, a break-barrel air rifle and CO2 and ball-bearing guns.

Restaurant worker Bethany Connelly said girls eating outside asked if they could finish their meals inside “because they’d seen someone with a crossbow”.

She added: “Minutes later we saw ambulance and police rushing down.”

Another local, April Place, suggested his outfit and weapons might have been mistaken for fancy dress.

She said: “They all dress up with axes and things. No one would have taken any notice.”

Police, who searched the suspect’s flat near the scene, were analysing a Facebook message outlining plans for “The Otley Run massacre”.

It describes the “attack type” as “spree killing, mass murder, terrorism” which has been motivated by “revenge” and “misogynistic rage”.

It tells how the sender had “explored far-Right ideas”.

The post was removed by last night while an earlier post by the same person outlined their hatred for feminists.

Counter Terrorism Policing North East took over the West Yorkshire Police probe to “explore any potential motivation”.

Neighbours of the suspect, meanwhile, said he had mental health issues.

West Yorkshire Police declared a major incident after the attack.

It’s understood the suspect had blasted himself in the head with a shotgun following the rampage.

He is believed to have been targeting female students.

Head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley said: “Officers will continue to conduct enquiries and we ask that if anyone has information that may assist, to pass this to police.

“We understand there are concerns around the incident, and questions about how and why this has happened. Our teams are committed to carrying out an in-depth investigation to provide answers to those affected.

“We continue to work closely with West Yorkshire Police to support the local community and thank residents for their support and understanding over the weekend.

“Our thoughts are with the victims, their families, and all those affected by this incident.”

Leeds District Commander, Chief Superintendent Steve Dodds said: “We fully appreciate the understandable shock and concern that this incident has caused in the Headingley community, and we are continuing to work closely alongside our partner agencies to support and reassure those living, working or studying in, or visiting the area.

“We have put a comprehensive visibility and engagement plan in place in the area to provide an increased police and partnership presence that will remain over the coming days, both on the streets and around key events in the community.

“We are absolutely committed to making sure that people feel safe to go about their daily lives in the area following this incident.

“As ever, we would advise people to report any suspicious or unusual behaviour to us immediately through 101 or 999 in an emergency, or to officers on the ground, or venue or event staff.”

Do you know more? Email ryan.merrifield@thesun.co.uk

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said on Saturday her thoughts were with the victims of the incident in Leeds, adding she was being updated on the situation.

In a statement, she said: “I am being kept updated on the serious violent incident in Leeds this afternoon.

“Thank you to the police and emergency services for their swift response.

“My thoughts are with the victims and all those affected by this attack.”

Otley Road is famed for the Otley Run – one of the most famous bar crawls in the UK – and the popular Leeds pub crawl would have been packed with punters enjoying drinks on Saturday afternoon.