A 17-year-old man has been charged with the murder of three girls on Thursday following the Southport stabbing three days earlier. Ten others were injured.
Three days after a knife-wielding man attacked a children’s dance and yoga class in Southport, a tourist town on the Irish Sea coast in Merseyside, England, a 17-year-old boy was charged on Thursday 1 August with the murder of three girls. The young man, who lives in Banks, Lancashire, faces three counts of murder and “another ten” of attempted murder, following the tragic incident in Southport this week, the prosecution said in a statement. He will appear in court in Liverpool on Thursday.
According to the latest report from the local police, three children lost their lives in this attack. Two adults and eight other children were injured. Five of them are still in critical condition, as are the two adults also injured in the attack. The three girls who died were aged 6 and 7. They died from their injuries on Tuesday. The third victim is a 9-year-old girl. She died on Tuesday. According to the Liverpool Echoabout 25 children, aged 6 to 11, participated in the targeted workshop on Monday.
What is the profile of the suspect?
“At approximately 11.50am we were called to a property on Hart Street regarding a stabbing,” Merseyside Police told the BBC on Monday. Daily Mailspecifying that a man had indeed been arrested. “Armed police officers arrested a man and seized a knife. He was taken to the police station,” the police force explained, adding that “there is no[vait] no broader threat to the population.”
On Monday night, police revealed that the individual arrested was a 17-year-old boy from Banks. While the motives for the attack were not known, police confirmed “that the incident was not[était] not currently treated as being related to terrorism and [qu’elles ne cherchaient] no one else connected with this incident.”
This Thursday, August 1st, the BBC revealed that the suspect’s family came from Rwanda. Since the attack, rumors have been circulating about his nationality, his religion, as well as the time of his arrival in United Kingdom on social networks. Enough to stir up hatred among some, especially on X. This is why the authorities are now trying to encourage the population to be cautious. The latter is demanding answers about the motivations and profile of the alleged 17-year-old aggressor.
Shock and tributes
On Monday afternoon, several eyewitnesses claimed to have seen a man wearing a “black hood” get out of a taxi shortly before the attack on the street called “Hart Street”, where the events took place. Many then described the horror and especially the screams of the children as they fled towards the street.
Horrendous and deeply shocking news emerging from Southport. My thoughts are with all those affected.
I would like to thank the police and emergency services for their swift response.
I am being kept updated as the situation develops.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 29, 2024
The British Prime Minister reacted quickly, deploring “horrible and deeply shocking news”. “My thoughts are with all those affected. I would like to thank the police and emergency services for their swift response,” Sir had also said on X Keir Starmer. The British Home Secretary said: ““deeply concerned by the very serious incident in Southport,” on the social network X.