A teenager arrested in connection to the stabbing incident at a Taylor Swift-themed event in England earlier this year has been charged with terrorism, police announced this week.
On Tuesday, Merseyside Police announced that 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana is now facing a terrorism charge. Rudakubana is accused of murdering three girls and stabbing 10 others in July, and police said that he also manufactured the deadly poison ricin, which investigators discovered at his residence.
Ricin, a highly lethal toxin extracted from the castor bean plant, is among the deadliest substances known. With no available vaccine or antidote, the poison works by shutting down cells’ ability to produce proteins, leading to fatal outcomes.
Chief Constable Serena Kennedy revealed that Rudakubana was also in possession of an Al-Qaeda jihad training manual.
Protesters gather outside the Liver Building in Liverpool, England, on August 3, 2024, for the ‘Enough is Enough’ demonstration held in reaction to the fatal stabbings in Southport, England, on July 29. On Tuesday, police announced that the suspect in the stabbing incident at a Taylor Swift-themed event had been charged with terrorism.
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The Stabbing Incident
Rudakubana is accused of carrying out the July stabbing incident in Southport, England, during a Taylor Swift-themed yoga and dance class for kids. Three children died in the incident and several others were injured.
“As a mum and a nana, I can’t begin to imagine the pain and suffering that the families of the victims are going through at this moment in time, and I wish to send my heartfelt condolences to them,” Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said during a news conference after the incident.
Rudakubana was arrested shortly after and charged in the deaths of the three girls, Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Bebe King, 6.
Taylor Swift Response
Following the incident, Swift shared a post on social media saying that she was “completely in shock.”
“The horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport is washing over me continuously,” Swift said. “These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.”
Taylor Swift fans also organized a Just Giving page to raise funds for those affected. The fundraiser is titled “Swifties Fundraiser for Alder Hey Children’s Charity” and is being ran by a woman called Cristina Jones, who is involved with the Taylor Swift UK & EU Facebook group.
Protests in England
Many demonstrations broke out in England following the stabbing incident, and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer in August blamed protests and clashes with police on “far-right hatred.”
While speaking with the BBC, British politician John Woodcock, who serves as an adviser on political violence, said there was a “concerted and coordinated” effort to spread violence online.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
