An 18-year-old British man admitted on Monday to killing three girls and attempting to kill 10 others during a brutal knife attack during a dance class last July in Southport, England.
The defendant, Axel Rudakubana, unexpectedly pleaded guilty to all charges against him on the first day of his trial at Liverpool Crown Court.
Mr Rudakubana admitted killing Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9, who were taking part in a Taylor Swift-themed bracelet-making and dance class on July 29 during the summer break from school. , and the attempted murder of 10 people, including eight children and two adults.
After the stabbings, police searched Mr. Rudakubana’s home and said they found ricin, a lethal toxin, and a PDF file titled “Military Studies in Jihad Against Tyrants: The Al Qaeda Training Manual.” Mr Rudakubana was subsequently charged with producing a biological toxin and “possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism”.
The government later confirmed that Rudakubana had been referred to an official counter-terrorism programme, Prevent, at least three times before the attack in Southport, when he was just 13 and 14, because of his obsession with violence.
Yvette Cooper, Britain’s Home Secretary, announced a public inquiry into the lack of action regarding the warnings, saying that the families and people of Southport “need answers about what happened before this attack”.
Mr Rudakubana had contact with the police, courts, social services and mental health services, he said in a statement, but “those agencies failed to identify the terrible risk and danger he posed to others”.
Information about his previous referrals to the authorities could not be made public before Mr Rudakubana’s sentencing, to avoid jeopardizing the legal process. Strict rules govern the disclosure of information during court proceedings in Great Britain to ensure the right to a fair trial.
“But now that there has been a guilty plea,” Ms Cooper said, “it is essential that the families and people of Southport can get answers about how this terrible attack could have taken place and why this happened to their children”.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday afternoon that there were “serious questions to be answered about how the state failed in its ultimate duty to protect these young girls”.
“Britain will rightly demand answers. And we will leave no stone unturned in this quest,” he said in a statement. “At the heart of this horrific event there is still a raw, familial and community pain; a pain that not even justice can ever truly heal.”
On Monday, Mr Rudakubana, who had initially pleaded not guilty, appeared in court, sitting at the back of the courtroom in the defense bench and wearing a gray tracksuit. He repeatedly refused court requests to identify himself or speak at a volume the judge could hear.
The BBC reported that Mr Rudakubana, whose mouth was covered by a surgical mask, muttered “guilty” as each charge against him was read out.
His lawyer, Stanley Reiz, confirmed that the defendant understood the proceedings and that he pleaded guilty to all charges against him. His guilty plea came as the court prepared to hear days of evidence about the harrowing attack.
Now, the case will move quickly to sentencing, according to the presiding judge, Julian Goose, who ordered Mr Rudakubana’s sentence on Thursday.
“You will understand that it is inevitable that the sentence you will be given will mean the equivalent of life imprisonment,” he told Mr Rudakubana after the guilty plea.
Judge Goose apologized to the victims’ families, as none were present in court Monday. The first evidence in the trial was expected to be heard only later in the week. He said the families will be in the courtroom Thursday.
Ursula Doyle, deputy chief crown prosecutor for the Mersey-Cheshire region, said in a statement that the “unspeakable attack” had “left a lasting mark on our community and the nation for its ferocity and senselessness”.
“It is clear that this was a young man with a sickening and enduring interest in death and violence,” he said, adding that Mr Rudakubana had shown no sign of remorse. “The prosecution was determined to prove his guilt and I am deeply grateful that today’s appeal has spared the families at the center of this case the pain of having to relive their ordeal through a trial.”
Authorities have not declared the stabbing an act of terrorism. Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy, who oversees policing in the region, said in an October statement that “for an issue to be declared a terrorist incident, it would be necessary to establish the rationale.” He said: “We strongly advise caution against anyone speculating about the motivation in this case.”
Mr Rudakubana was born in Cardiff, Wales, to parents originally from Rwanda. At the time of the attack he was living in Banks, a village north of Southport.
After the Southport attack, Britain was rocked by a series of riots, as misinformation about the attacker’s identity circulated on social media and messaging apps. False claims that the suspect was an undocumented immigrant or newly arrived asylum seeker were amplified by anti-immigration activists and members of the far right.
Several people, including a neo-Nazi, were later found to have helped coordinate outbreaks of violence, which included attacks on mosques and hotels where asylum seekers were staying, and which left dozens of police officers injured.
Mr Rudakubana was 17 at the time of the attack and, under English court rules, would usually remain anonymous until he turned 18. But days after the attack, a judge took the unusual step of releasing his name in an attempt to stem the spread of misinformation.
Hundreds of people have been accused of involvement in the violent riots that erupted across the country last summer, and dozens have been sentenced to prison.
Stefano Castello contributed to the reporting.