17-year-old charged with murder of three girls in England

Photo: James Speakman Associated Press Flowers have been laid in Southport in tribute to the three girls who died Monday and Tuesday.

James Pheby – Agence France-Presse in Southport

Posted at 10:47 p.m.

• Europe

A 17-year-old boy was charged on Thursday with the murder of three girls in a knife attack in Southport, northwest England, two days after clashes in the traumatised town.

The Crown Prosecution Service “has authorised Merseyside Police to charge a 17-year-old male from Banks, Lancashire,” it said in a statement. The boy faces “three counts of murder and ten (additional) counts of attempted murder, following the tragic incident in Southport this week,” it added.

The suspect will appear in court in Liverpool, northwest England, on Thursday.

Since the attack, many rumours about his nationality, the time of his arrival in the United Kingdom and his religion have abounded on social networks.

According to the BBC, the suspect's family comes from Rwanda.

The authorities have tried to appeal to the patience and caution of a population demanding answers about the attacker's motivations.

On Wednesday, the British police deployed significant resources to prevent further violence in Southport. The day before, violent clashes had broken out, strongly condemned by the government.

While no notable incidents were reported in the evening, a tense demonstration, in reaction to the government's response to Monday's attack, was held in London near Downing Street.

Photo: Jordan Pettitt Associated Press On Wednesday, July 31, a tense protest took place in London near Downing Street.

Police officers were targeted with bottles and several people were arrested after the rally, where many participants carried British flags on their shoulders.

On Tuesday night, clashes broke out in Southport, which police blamed on far-right protesters, amid online speculation about the origins of the suspect in the attack, whose motive is still unknown, which has plunged the seaside town into mourning.

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Between 200 and 300 people lit fires, threw bricks at a mosque and clashed with security forces, injuring 53 officers, according to police.

“It was terrifying,” said mosque president Ibrahim Hussein, who was trapped inside the building during the clashes. “The viciousness was incomprehensible,” he added. “We've been here for 30 years without any problems.” »

On Wednesday, several members of the local Muslim community gathered outside the mosque as cleaners and residents cleared away debris from the street.

Four men aged 31 to 39 were arrested, police said, three charged with participating in the disturbances and the fourth with affray and possession of a bladed weapon. “More will follow,” Kennedy warned.

“Insult”

Police said they “suspect” those responsible for the violence of being “supporters” of the English Defence League (EDL), a far-right anti-Islam movement whose demonstrations are regularly marred by excesses.

“Those who hijacked the victims' vigil with violence and brutality have insulted the people in their mourning. They will face the full force of the law,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer reacted on X.

The knife attack occurred at midday on Monday, in the middle of the school holidays, in a dance club during a children's activity based around the music of Taylor Swift.

Two girls, aged six and seven, died the same day, and a third, aged nine, died on Tuesday. According to the latest report, eight other children were injured, five of whom were still in critical condition on Tuesday.

Two adults were also seriously injured, believed to have been trying to “protect” the children, police said.

Misinformation

Local MP Patrick Hurley blamed “propaganda and lies” spread online, some “in the hope of causing division.”

Men’s rights influencer Andrew Tate, who also identifies as Muslim, had posted a video on social media that was seen by nearly 15 million people in which he blamed the attack on an “illegal immigrant.”

The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) said the Islamophobic backlash began with a false online rumour, fuelled by misinformation from a Russian news website, which wrongly linked the crime to Muslims.

“At this time of great tragedy, loss and grief, we must stand firm against the cynical forces of hatred and division,” said Zara Mohammed, the MCB’s general secretary.

At the vigil on Tuesday evening, June Burns, the mayor of Sefton, the borough that includes Southport, called from the podium for “calm and respect” to a raucous crowd.