Knife attack in England: teenager charged with murder, terrorist possibility ruled out ?

A 17-year-old boy has been charged with the murder of three girls on Thursday, following the Southport stabbing three days earlier. Ten others were injured.

Three days after a knife-wielding man attacked a dance and yoga workshop for children in Southport, a tourist town on the Irish Sea coast in Merseyside, England, a 17-year-old boy was charged on Thursday 1 August with the murder of three girls. Banks, Lancashire, the young man faces three counts of murder and a further ten counts of attempted murder, following the “tragedy in Southport this week,” the Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement. He will appear in court in Liverpool on Thursday.

According to the latest report from the local police, three children lost their lives in this attack. Two adults and eight other children were injured. Five of them are still in critical condition, as are the two adults also injured in the attack. The three girls who died were aged 6 and 7. They died of their injuries on Tuesday. The third victim is a 9-year-old girl. She died on Tuesday. According to the Liverpool Echo, there were about 25 children, aged between six and 11, taking part in the targeted workshop on Monday.

What is the profile of the suspect ?

“At around 11.50am we were called to a property “from Hart Street for a knife attack,” Merseyside Police told the Daily Mail on Monday., specifying that a man had indeed been arrested. “Armed police officers arrested a man and seized a knife. He was taken to the police station,” the police said, adding that “there is no broader threat to the population.”

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On Monday evening, police revealed that the individual arrested was a 17-year-old male from Banks. While the motives for the attack were not known, law enforcement confirmed that “the incident is not currently being treated as terrorism-related and [they are] not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.”

This Thursday, August 1st, the BBC revealed that the suspect's family came from Rwanda. Since the attack, rumors have been circulating on social networks about his nationality, religion, and the time of his arrival in the United Kingdom. Enough to stir up hatred among some, particularly on X. This is why the authorities are now trying to urge the population to be cautious. The latter is demanding answers about the motives and profile of the alleged attacker. 17 years old.

Shock and tributes

On Monday afternoon, several eyewitnesses claimed to have seen a man wearing a “black hood” get out of a taxi shortly before the attack on the street known as “Hart Street”, where the events took place. Many then described the horror and especially the screams of the children as they fled into the streets.

The British Prime Minister reacted quickly, deploring “horrible and deeply shocking news”. “My thoughts are with all those affected. “I would like to thank the police and emergency services for their rapid response,” Sir Keir Starmer also said on X. The British Home Secretary said she was “deeply concerned by the very serious incident in Southport” on the social network X.