Why were warning signs missed for the UK teen who killed 3 girls in a stabbing rampage?
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Six months after a teenage attacker stabbed three girls to death at a children’s dance class in England, new details about his background have sparked questions about how authorities repeatedly failed to spot the threat he posed. Officials revealed this week that Axel Rudakubana, 18, had been convicted of assault at school, was obsessed with violence and referred to counterterrorism officials multiple times before his attack shocked the nation.
But the government said that because the teen did not fit into existing ways of understanding terrorism — he was a loner who did not show a clear adherence to an extremist ideology or an organized group — officials did not flag him as a serious threat.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said that shows how Britain's counterterrorism strategy needs a complete rethink. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced an inquiry into why multiple state agencies failed to identify the danger that Rudakubana posed.
“How did he fall through so many gaps? It is just unbearable to think that something more could and should have been done,” she said. Rudakubana pleaded guilty to all charges on Monday and will be sentenced Thursday. Here's a look at his case and what warning signs were missed:.
Who is Rudakubana and what happened last year?. Rudakubana was born in Wales to Rwandan immigrants. He pleaded guilty this week to murdering three girls, ages 6 to 9, and attempting to murder 10 other people on July 29 at a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga class for children in the northern English town of Southport.
