Axel Rudakubana has pleaded guilty to killing three girls and attempting to kill several others at a dance class in Southport last summer on the first day of his trial. Rudakubana also admitted production of a biological toxin, ricin, on or before July 29 and possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism.
![[**TV OUT** Artist impression of Axel Rudakubana, appearing via videolink at Westminster Magistrates' Court. October 30, 2024. Release date ? October 30, 2024. An 18-year-old who is accused of murdering three girls in Southport has appeared in court over a terror charge. Axel Rudakubana, who appeared via videolink at Westminster Magistrates' Court, is charged with making the toxic poison ricin. He also faces a charge of possessing a PDF file likely to be useful in committing or preparing an act of terrorism. Mr Rudakubana held his grey tracksuit top over the bottom half of his face and did not respond when asked to confirm his name. A security officer with him at Belmarsh Prison, where the defendant is being held, told the court he had chosen not to speak.]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/SEI_227717582-7d32.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
The terrorism offence relates to a PDF file entitled Military Studies In The Jihad Against The Tyrants, The Al Qaeda Training Manual which he is said to have possessed between August 29 2021 and July 30 2024. The ricin, a deadly poison, and the document were found during searches of the home in Banks, Lancashire, which he shared with his parents, who are originally from Rwanda.
![[Ricinus Communis Dried Seeds Of The Fruit Of The Castor Bean Plant.]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/SEI_227732798-b0ac.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
He will be sentenced on Thursday for the offences. But what is ricin and what makes it so dangerous?. Ricin is a poison which is found naturally in castor beans. If castor beans are chewed and swallowed, it’s possible to suffer from ricin poisoning. Ricin occurs naturally in castor beans, and can also be made from the waste material left over from processing the beans.
![[Castor Bean or Castor Oil Plant (Ricinus communis), Small Flowers in a Garden on a Sunny Day]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/SEI_227732793-97f8.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
It can be made into the form of a powder, mist, pellet, or can be dissolved in water or weak acid. Ricin works by getting inside the cells of a person’s body and preventing the cells from making the proteins they need. Without the proteins, cells die. Eventually this is harmful to the whole body and can prove fatal.
