Teen who stabbed girls at Taylor Swift dance event admits murder

A British teenager has admitted to the murder of three young girls in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event. The incident occurred at Liverpool Crown Court, where the defendant, 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana, changed his plea to guilty on the first day of his scheduled trial, having previously pleaded not guilty.

Rudakubana admitted to murdering 6-year-old Bebe O’Keefe, 7-year-old Elsie Dot Stankom, and 9-year-old Alice Da Silva Aguiar at the Taylor Swift-themed dance event in Southport in July. He also admitted to 10 counts of attempted murder related to the attack. Eight other girls, aged between 7 and 13, were injured, as well as coach Leanne Lucas and Jonathan Hayes, a worker from a neighboring business who tried to intervene.

Judge Julian Goose stated that he would sentence Rudakubana on Thursday. Following the July 29th attack, a week of unrest occurred in parts of England and Northern Ireland due to the suspect being wrongly identified as an asylum seeker who had recently arrived in the UK by boat. In reality, Rudakubana was born in Wales.

According to The Guardian, Rudakubana had been referred three times to the UK government's "Prevent" program, which aims to stop terrorist violence. Defense lawyer Stanley Reiz stated he would provide the judge with information about Rudakubana's mental health, which may be relevant to his sentencing. Rudakubana refused to speak in court and again refused to identify himself at the start of proceedings.

Prosecutors have not yet stated what they believe motivated the attack. Violent groups, mostly composed of men, mobilized on social media by far-right activists, attacked mosques and immigrant residences, threw beer bottles, rocks, and other projectiles at police, and set cars on fire in some urban areas. Over 1,200 people were arrested in the aftermath of the riots. Months after his arrest, Rudakubana was also charged with other offenses, including producing the biological toxin ricin, and possessing information useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism due to manuals found on his computer. Police have stated that the attack has not been classified as a terrorist act because the motive remains unclear.