Southport knife attack: Axel Rudakubana, 18, admits murdering three girls at Taylor Swift-themed dance class
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A teenager has pleaded guilty to murdering three young girls in Southport and attempting to kill ten others, in a stabbing spree which sparked last summer’s riots. Axel Rudakubana, 18, stabbed to death Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29.
He also attempted to murder eight children and two adults during the same incident, as well as possession of a knife in the incident. And Rudakubana pleaded guilty to possession of an Al Qaeda training manual and the production of the toxin ricin. Rudakubana has stayed silent during all legal proceedings so far, and was due to stand trial on Monday.
But in a shock twist, he entered the dock at Liverpool crown court and indicated he wanted to change all his pleas to guilty. Mr Justice Goose adjourned the case for a one-day sentencing hearing on Thursday. Rudakubana, from Banks in Lancashire, has been in custody since the stabbings last August.
The murders and attempted murders were the spark for a week-long wave of rioting and disorder that spread to towns and cities across the country, with mis-information being spread online about the identity of the attacker. Rudakubana was first charged with the murders and attempted murders, and while awaiting trial charges of producing ricin prior to the stabbings and possession of the terror document titled: “Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants: The Al-Qaeda Training Manual” between August 21 and July 2024 were added to the indictment.
