A 17-year-old boy has been charged with murder and attempted murder after 13 people were stabbed, including 11 children, at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, police said.
Merseyside police said they charged the suspect, who is from the village of Banks, Lancashire, with three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of an offensive weapon.
Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, were fatally stabbed, while five children remain in critical condition after they were attacked while taking part in a dance and yoga class on Monday morning.
Two adults, who were injured trying to protect the children, were also in a critical condition.
The suspect, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested on Monday. Earlier on Wednesday, detectives were granted more time to question the teenager. The only details released about the suspect are his age, he is from the village of Banks, about five miles from where the stabbings took place, and was born in Cardiff.
The charge came hours after there were scenes of violent disorder on Wednesday in central London as crowds of protesters marched on Downing Street. Demonstrators threw flares and cans while chanting “Rule Britannia”, “save our kids” and “stop the boats”, while police were seen wrestling a man off the road and onto the pavement next to the Cenotaph. Others attempted to kick down a fence and were confronted by riot police. More than 100 people were arrested, the Metropolitan police said.
There was also a protest in Hartlepool, County Durham, which resulted in four people being arrested after police officers had missiles, glass bottles and eggs thrown at them. Late in the night a police vehicle was set alight in the town centre.
Several officers suffered minor injuries responding to the disorder, Cleveland police said. Jonathan Brash, the Labour MP for the town, said he was “deeply concerned” about the situation and would be meeting with police to discuss their response to the incident.
Mr Brash wrote on X: “These events do not represent what Hartlepool is or the values that our people hold. Violence is never the answer.”
More than 50 police officers were injured in far-right riots in Southport on Tuesday night, which broke out as the town reeled from the knife attack that killed three children. Five people have been arrested over the disturbances, police said.
The mother of Elsie, one of the children who was killed, intervened in a bid to diffuse tensions. “This is the only thing that I will write, but please, please stop the violence in Southport tonight,” Jenni Stancombe said.
Alex Goss, assistant chief constable for Merseyside police, said: “Our work to identify all those responsible for the despicable violence and aggression seen on the streets of Southport on Tuesday continues. - Guardian