Teen accused of girls’ murder at UK dance class faces terrorism charge
Floral tributes were left for the victims following the deadly knife attack in Southport
London (CNN) — The teenager charged with the murder of three young girls in a July stabbing attack at a dance class in northwest England will face a terrorism charge, British prosecutors announced Tuesday.
The suspect Axel Rudakubana, who was 17 at the time of the attack but is now 18, will be charged with the production of the biological toxin ricin, and possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism, the United Kingdom’s Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement.
Rudakubana will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court via videolink on Wednesday, police added.
The new charges he faces in relation to the attack in the town of Southport, England, are in addition to three charges of murder, 10 charges of attempted murder and one charge of possession of a knife. A trial is expected to begin in January 2025.
Three young girls – Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and 9-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar – were stabbed to death while attending a Taylor Swift-themed class in Southport in July, in one of the worst assaults against children in the country in decades. Eight other children also suffered stab wounds in the attack.
The fresh charges came after local police conducted searches of the suspect’s home, Merseyside Chief Constable Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said on Tuesday.
“Searches of Axel Rudakubana’s home address resulted in an unknown substance being found – testing confirmed the substance was ricin,” Kennedy told reporters at a news conference.
“We have worked extensively with partners to establish that there was a low to very low risk to the public – and I want to make that reassurance clear today.”
She added: “When the ricin was discovered, all necessary steps were taken so we could be sure that no one was at risk. This was a multi-agency response. Expert advice, and guidance was received and adhered to throughout the investigation.”
Dr. Renu Bindra, a senior medical adviser at the UK Health Security Agency, told the news conference that the authority was brought in to conduct a public health risk assessment and that “there was no evidence that any victims, responders or members of the public were exposed to ricin either as part of the incident or afterwards.”
The risk assessment “judged that the risk to the community and to the wider public was low,” Bindra said.
The attack on July 29 has not been declared a terrorist incident, the police chief said.
“I recognise that the new charges may lead to speculation. The matter for which Axel Rudakubana has been charged with under the Terrorism Act does not require motive to be established. For a matter to be declared a terrorist incident, motivation would need to be established,” Kennedy explained.
In the days after the tragic incident, dozens of protests erupted in several locations around the country. Several of the demonstrations erupted into riots after an anti-immigrant misinformation campaign stoked outrage and far-right agitators targeted hotels housing asylum-seekers.
It was the worst disorder seen in the UK in more than a decade, with more than 1,000 people arrested and hundreds sentenced to jail.
CNN’s Helen Regan and Maija Ehlinger contributed to this report.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
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