A 17-year-old male was charged on Thursday with the murder of three young girls and the attempted murder of 10 others in a knife attack during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, UK prosecutors announced.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed that Merseyside Police charged the suspect with three counts of murder for the deaths of Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9. The suspect is set to appear in court in Liverpool, northwest England, on Thursday.
The town of Southport, where the attack took place on Monday, remains in shock. The aftermath saw violent clashes on Tuesday, with supporters of the far-right English Defence League (EDL) reportedly inciting chaos.
During the unrest, a group of around 100 people attacked police officers and properties, throwing bricks at a mosque and setting vehicles and other objects on fire. Police reported that 53 officers were injured, eight of them seriously, and four suspects were arrested.
Police Chief Serena Kennedy stated that her force is prepared for further potential disturbances, although Wednesday passed without incident. Nonetheless, there were scuffles at a protest outside Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s residence in Downing Street and in Hartlepool, northeast England.
The violence has been widely condemned, with Prime Minister Starmer promising that those responsible will “face the full force of the law.”
