2024 Southport Stabbing

On 29 July 2024, a mass stabbing targeting children occurred at a dance studio in Southport, Merseyside, United Kingdom. Three children were killed, and ten other people – eight of whom were children – were injured. Axel Rudakubana, a 17-year-old British citizen born in Cardiff to parents from Rwanda, was arrested at the scene and has been charged with three counts of murder, ten counts of attempted murder, and possession of a bladed article.

The attack took place at a Taylor Swift–themed yoga and dance workshop attended by twenty-five children at the Hart Space, a community studio in the Meols Cop area of Southport. Two girls died at the scene, six injured children and two adults were taken to hospital in a critical condition, and a third girl died the following day.

On 30 July, far-right protesters clashed with police in Southport and damaged a mosque after misinformation about the attacker's identity was spread online. Over the next few days, protests and riots spread nationwide.

A motive for the attack has not been identified, although Merseyside Police stated they were not treating it as terror-related. On 1 August, Liverpool Crown Court disclosed Rudakubana's identity – despite his still being a minor at that point – to counter speculation and misinformation.

Background

The Hart Space, where the attack occurred, is a community studio venue on Hart Street in Meols Cop, Southport, about a mile east of the town centre. It hosts yoga, dance, pregnancy, and baby and toddler classes. It is on the first floor of a building which it shares with an office on the ground floor.

The workshop was organised by yoga teacher Leanne Lucas. It was advertised as a "yoga, dance and bracelet making workshop" themed around the music of Taylor Swift. The workshop was aimed at children in Year 2 to Year 6 (ages 6–11), and was being held in the first whole week of the summer holidays, scheduled for 29 July 2024 between 10:00 and 12:00 BST. The event was fully booked, with 25 children attending.

Attack

At around 11:45 BST, the attacker arrived at Hart Street by taxi and walked to the Hart Space. He entered the venue and began his attack.

The organisers tried to shield the children from the attacker. Lucas, who was critically injured in the attack, ushered some children out of the venue via a fire exit and the other organiser locked others in a toilet to hide them. Jonathan Hayes, who was working in an office in the same building, ran into the studio after hearing screams and was stabbed in the leg when he attempted to disarm the attacker.

At 11:47, Merseyside Police received the first emergency call, and emergency services were dispatched. North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) received their first call a minute later. Members of the public helped those who had escaped from the building. One described how he had stopped to help an injured child before entering the building and seeing the attacker with a knife at the top of a staircase. After two officers had subdued the attacker, the man carried an injured girl to an ambulance. A man who lived in a neighbouring property was interviewed by ITV and described how he had taken several children, one of them injured, into his house.

Emergency services quickly declared a major incident as armed response vehicles, thirteen ambulances, the fire service, and three air ambulances – one each from North West Air Ambulance, Midlands Air Ambulance, and Great North Air Ambulance – were dispatched to the scene. Specialist hazardous area response and medical emergency response incident units also responded. Merseyside Police imposed an Emergency Restriction of Flying to stop aircraft – including helicopters and drones – from flying without permission.

Victims

Six-year-old Bebe King and seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe died at the scene. Nine children and two adults were treated for injuries by NWAS. Six of the nine children and both adults – Lucas and Hayes – were in a critical condition following the stabbings.

Casualties were taken to Alder Hey Children's Hospital, which declared a major incident, as well as Aintree University Hospital, Southport and Formby District General Hospital, Ormskirk District General Hospital, and Royal Manchester Children's Hospital. A third girl, nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar, died in hospital the day after the incident. The three girls who were killed in the attack were named on 30 July.

The last injured child to be discharged from hospital went home on 8 August, ten days after the stabbing. Lucas was readmitted to hospital due to breathing issues and was expected to undergo lung surgery.

Accused

Axel Muganwa Rudakubana (born 7 August 2006) was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. Rudakubana was born in Cardiff, Wales, and is a British citizen. His parents are originally from Rwanda. The family moved to the Southport area in 2013; at the time of the attack, they lived in Banks, a large village on the north-eastern outskirts of Southport. Neighbours have described him as "quiet". He has a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, and had reportedly been "unwilling to leave the house and communicate with family for a period of time".

Rudakubana attended Range High School in Formby. He was part of a musical theatre group. In 2018, when he was 11, he was featured in a BBC '' Children in Need'' promotional video dressed as the Tenth Doctor. After Rudakubana's identity was released, the BBC removed the ''Children in Need'' advert featuring him from its platforms. The company that cast him also deleted all references to him from their social media.

On 31 July 2024, Rudakubana was charged with three counts of murder, ten counts of attempted murder, and one count of possession of a bladed article. As a minor at the time of the attack, his identity was protected; however reporting restrictions were lifted on 1 August by Liverpool Crown Court, citing concerns over the lack of confirmed identity fuelling misinformation. The recorder overturning the restrictions stated that continuing to prevent reporting of Rudakubana's name risked more unrest when he turned 18 on 7 August and his identity would have become publicly available. Rudakubana was remanded in custody and has a provisional trial date of 20 January 2025.

Merseyside Police have not identified a motive, although they said on 29 July that they were not treating the incident as terror-related.

Aftermath

Official responses

Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the incident as horrendous and shocking, and thanked emergency services for their swift response. Speaking in the House of Commons, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper stated that she was concerned by the incident and described the emergency services' response as courageous. Patrick Hurley, the Labour MP for Southport, stated that he was deeply concerned and hoped for the best possible outcomes to the casualties as well as praising local organisations that "stepped up to the plate" and urging against any online speculation over the event. Cooper additionally visited Southport the following morning to lay flowers and meet officials and community leaders. Starmer also visited the same day and laid flowers at the scene. He was heckled by some members of the public. On 2 August, 10 Downing Street was illuminated pink "as a mark of respect and solidarity".

Condolences were sent by King Charles III and Queen Camilla, as well as the Prince and Princess of Wales. The President of Portugal Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, and the Regional Government of Madeira, sent condolences as Aguiar's parents had emigrated from Madeira to the UK.

King Charles visited Southport on 20 August, meeting with survivors of the attack and their families, local politicians, and emergency workers who responded to the incident. He also signed the book of condolence. The following day he held a private meeting at Clarence House in London with the bereaved families.

Memorials and fundraisers

A vigil was held outside the Atkinson in Eastbank Square on the evening of 30 July, with thousands of people in attendance. Flowers and handwritten notes were left there and near the scene of the attack.

Taylor Swift responded: "The horror of yesterday's attack in Southport is washing over me continuously and I'm just completely in shock ..These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families." Swift later met with families of the victims, welcoming them to the backstage of her Eras Tour concerts at the Wembley Stadium, London.

Within a day of the incident, Swift's fans launched a 'Swifties for Southport' JustGiving page and raised over for the Alder Hey Children's Charity. Fundraising pages were setup to support the families of the victims, which raised a combined total of over .

A service was held for Aguiar on 6 August at St Patrick's Catholic Church in Southport. Hundreds of people lined the streets of Southport for her funeral on 11 August. King's funeral was held privately on 17 August, and Stancombe's funeral took place in Birkdale on 23 August.

Misinformation and riots

In the immediate aftermath of the attack, misinformation about the identity of the attacker began to spread widely on social media. False claims that the suspect was a Muslim migrant or asylum seeker were rapidly spread by right-wing accounts. The claims were propagated by Channel3Now, a news aggregation website with a past history of spreading misinformation.

On the evening of 30 July, the same evening as a vigil was held for the victims, hundreds of protesters gathered outside Southport Mosque on St Luke's Road, less than from the scene of the attack. The protest quickly turned violent and people began attacking the mosque with bricks, bottles, and rocks, set a police vehicle on fire, and looted a corner shop. Merseyside Police believed the group to be supporters of the English Defence League, although the EDL has ceased to exist in a formal sense since 2013. Merseyside Police reported that 39 officers were injured; 27 were hospitalised and 8 sustained serious injuries.

The riot was widely condemned. Starmer said in a post on X that the group had "hijacked the vigil for the victims with violence and thuggery" and "insulted the community as it grieves", and that those involved would "feel the full force of the law". Hurley said on BBC Radio 4's ''Today'' that the rioters were not local residents, but were "thugs who'd got the train in". Dozens of local residents gathered on the morning of 31 July to clean up the destruction and repair damage. Over the next few days, far-right riots spread to towns and cities across England, and to Belfast in Northern Ireland, eventually leading to over 1,000 arrests.

Inquest

The inquest into the three deaths was opened at Bootle Town Hall on 7 August by senior coroner Julie Goulding. The inquest was adjourned pending the outcome of the judicial process.

See also

* List of mass stabbing incidents (2020–present)
* 2024 Hainault sword attack – mass stabbing in London in which a 14-year-old boy was killed

References

External links

"Statement on major incident in Southport"
(Merseyside Police)

{{Taylor Swift

2024 in England
2020s in Merseyside
July 2024 events in the United Kingdom
Attacks in the United Kingdom in 2024
Deaths by stabbing in England
Mass stabbings in the United Kingdom
2024 stabbing
Stabbing attacks in 2024
Stabbing attacks in England
2024 United Kingdom riots
July 2024 crimes in Europe
Taylor Swift