Teenage Southport murder suspect named after three children killed
This court artist drawing shows Axel Rudakubana, centre, covering his face in the dock at Liverpool Crown Court. (AP: Elizabeth Cook/PA)
In short:
The 17-year-old suspected of murdering three children in the English town of Southport on Monday has been named as Axel Muganwa Rudakubana.
False information spread online fuelled protests in Southport and London following the attack.
What's next?
The suspect did not enter a plea. Five children and two adults remain in hospital after the attack.
The teenager suspected to have killed three children in the English town of Southport has been named.
Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, 17, has appeared in a Liverpool court, charged with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder.
Despite being a teenager, Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary said the suspect could be named because he will turn 18 next week.
Police have not disclosed a motive for the crime, but the charges revealed the alleged murder weapon was a kitchen knife with a curved blade.
A memorial to the victims of the Southport stabbing. (ABC News: Andrew Greaves)
The 17-year-old allegedly conducted the stabbing at a summer vacation event for children aged six to 11 called the "Taylor Swift yoga and dance workshop".
Three girls, aged between six and nine, were killed in the attack, while eight children and two adults were injured.
Two of the children left hospital on Thursday, while five others remain in a stable condition.
Protesters gathered in London, near the prime minister's residence. (AP: Jordan Pettitt/PA)
The adults, Leanne Lucas who led the dance class and John Hayes who worked nearby, have been listed in a critical condition.
Police confirmed Mr Rudakubana was born in Britain, after disinformation spread on social media fuelled riots by far-right demonstrators in the seaside town on Tuesday.
The suspect wore a grey tracksuit and pulled his sweatshirt above his nose, holding his head low during the brief court hearing.
He did not speak or enter a plea.
A recent rise in knife crime in the UK has stoked anxieties and led to calls for the government to clamp down on bladed weapons.
On Tuesday night, a crowd of several hundred people hurled bricks and bottles at riot police in Southport, set garbage bins and vehicles on fire and looted a store, hours after a peaceful vigil for the stabbing victims.
Violence erupted in Southport on Tuesday shortly after a peaceful vigil was attended by hundreds. (AP: Richard McCarthy/PA)
Police said a name circulating online purported to be the suspect's was false and spread by far-right activists.
False claims online also suggested the suspect was an asylum seeker.
Protesters also gathered near the UK prime minister's residence in London, chanting "we want our country back" and hurling beer cans and bottles.
More than 100 people were arrested for offences including violent disorder and assault on an emergency worker, London's Metropolitan Police force said.
PM condemns violent protests
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer says a national police unit will tackle violent disorder. (Reuters: Henry Nicholls)
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday condemned the violent protests.
"As far as the far-right is concerned, this is coordinated, this is deliberate," Mr Starmer told a press conference.
"This is not a protest that just got out of hand. It is a group of individuals who are absolutely bent on violence."
Mr Starmer met with police leaders on Thursday and announced he would establish a national unit across police forces to tackle violent disorder.
He said the unit would include shared intelligence, wider deployment of facial recognition technology and preventative action such as orders to restrict the movement of persistent offenders.
Mr Starmer also warned social media companies to do more to stop the spreading of disinformation online.
AP/ABC