17-Year-Old Charged After Stabbing at Taylor Swift-Themed Event in U.K.

SOUTHPORT, ENGLAND - JULY 30: Tributes and candles to the victims of the Southport knife attack continue to be laid near the scene on July 30, 2024 in Southport, England. A teenager armed with a knife attacked children at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club in Hart Lane, Southport yesterday morning. Three children have died and five children and two adults remain in a critical condition in hospital. A 17-year-old boy has been arrested. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
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The 17-year-old boy has been charged with three counts of murder and 10 of attempted murder.

A 17-year-old boy has been charged with the murder of three young girls—Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Bebe King, 6—who died following a stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga class in Southport, England.

In an unusual move, a British court on Thursday named the 17-year-old suspect as Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, who is due to turn 18 on August 7. The judge, Andrew Menary, said he was lifting Britain’s reporting restrictions based on age to help counter misinformation.

“Continuing to prevent the full reporting has the disadvantage of allowing others to spread misinformation, in a vacuum,” Judge Menary said, according to the Press Association.

After the mass stabbing, racially fueled riots ensued during a vigil held on Tuesday, incited by far-right provocateurs. Although the police said repeatedly that the suspect had been born in Cardiff, Wales, misinformation spread rapidly on social media claiming that he was an undocumented immigrant.

More than 50 police officers were injured as demonstrators threw bricks at a mosque, attacked the police, set cars on fire, and damaged a convenience store.

“The individuals involved in the disorder had no regard for the families and friends of those who so tragically lost their lives, and a community in grief. It has been heartening today to see the reaction of the whole community, who have pulled together to clean the streets, rebuild walls, and re-glaze broken windows.”

Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Mersey-Cheshire Sarah Hammond stressed that “criminal proceedings against the defendant are active and that he has the right to a fair trial.”

“It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary, or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings,” Hammond added.

The teen, of Banks in Lancashire, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court and has been remanded in youth custody. A plea and trial preparation hearing has been set for Oct. 25, according to BBC News.

On Tuesday, police confirmed in a news release that eight other children had suffered stab wounds in the attack, and five of them were in critical condition. Two adults have also been listed in critical condition; one of whom is yoga teacher Leanne Lucas, who organized the dance and yoga class, per the BBC, The Times, and The Guardian.

“We believe that the adults who were injured were bravely trying to protect the children who were being attacked,” Chief Constable Kennedy said at a press conference after the stabbing.

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