Teen charged with UK dance class stabbings pleads not guilty to murder

A teenager has been accused of carrying out an attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in England this summer, resulting in the deaths of three girls and injuries to ten others. In court, he remained silent, and a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf by the court.

18-year-old Axel Rudakubana has refused to speak at each of his court appearances. He faces three counts of murder, ten counts of attempted murder, and additional charges related to possessing the poison ricin and having an al-Qaeda manual.

On Wednesday (early Thursday AEST), Judge Julian Goose ordered the clerk to enter the pleas at Liverpool Crown Court, while Rudakubana remained silent during a video appearance from a London prison. His trial is scheduled to begin on January 20. This was the first time the teenager appeared in court without his face obscured by the collar of his sweatshirt.

He appeared to smile as a police officer confirmed the court proceedings could be heard in the prison. The judge noted Rudakubana's lack of response. While the charges were read, he swayed from side to side and at one point leaned forward. Rudakubana was charged in August with the murders of three girls – 9-year-old Alice Da Silva Aguiar, 7-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, and 6-year-old Bebe King – and the stabbing of ten others on July 29 in the northern English seaside town of Southport.

The attack at a small dance and yoga studio on the first day of summer holidays sparked riots across England and Northern Ireland, which were fueled by far-right activists for a week. The violence led to more than 300 police officers being injured and triggered arson attacks on hotels housing migrants. The unrest was sparked by the then-unnamed Rudakubana being wrongly identified as a recent asylum seeker who had arrived in Britain by boat.

Rudakubana was born in Wales to Rwandan immigrant parents. More than 1,200 people were arrested in connection with the week-long unrest, and hundreds have been sentenced to up to nine years in prison. A report released on Wednesday criticized police for failing to recognize the threat of violent unrest following a number of smaller incidents across Britain over the past two years.

The report by the police and fire inspectorate also cited failings in gathering intelligence from social media and the dark web. Rudakubana was charged with additional offenses in October, including producing the biological toxin ricin, and being charged with possessing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism due to a manual found on his computer.

Police have stated that the stabbings have not been classified as a terrorist act as the motive remains unclear.