Teen Charged with Killing Three Girls and Wounding 10 Others in UK Stabbing Rampage

A 18-year-old teen, Axel Rudakubana, has been charged with killing three girls and wounding 10 others in a stabbing rampage at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in England this summer. He is scheduled to go on trial early next year, a judge said Wednesday.

Rudakubana will face trial Jan. 20 in Liverpool Crown Court on three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder, and additional charges related to possessing the poison ricin and for having an al-Qaida manual.

Family members and friends of the girls killed and injured, as well as one of the class instructors who was badly wounded, attended the hearing in person as Rudakubana appeared by video link from Belmarsh prison in south London.

Rudakubana, who has not entered a plea, continued to refuse to speak in court as he has at previous hearings. He pulled a sweatshirt up over his face and wouldn’t identify himself or acknowledge the judge.

Background of the Incident

The stabbings occurred on July 29 in the seaside town of Southport in northern England. Rudakubana was charged in August with murdering three girls — Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Bebe King, 6 — and stabbing 10 other people.

He was charged last month with additional counts for production of a biological toxin, ricin, and possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism for having the manual in a document on his computer.

Investigation and Motive

Police have said the stabbings have not been classified as acts of terrorism because the motive is not yet known. The stabbings fueled far-right activists to stoke anger at immigrants and Muslims after social media falsely identified Rudakubana — then unnamed — as an asylum seeker who had recently arrived in Britain by boat. Rudakubana was born in Wales to Rwandan immigrants.

Rioting spread across England and Northern Ireland that lasted a week. More than 1,200 people were arrested for the disorder and hundreds have been jailed.

Conclusion

The trial is expected to last four to six weeks. The incident has sent shockwaves across the UK and has raised concerns about the rise of violent extremism and hate crimes.