A teenager accused of killing three young girls in a knife attack in northern England in July has also been charged with committing a terrorist offense and producing the deadly poison ricin, police and prosecutors said Tuesday.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, is accused of killing three girls aged between six and nine at a Taylor Swift dance concert in Southport, murders that shocked the nation and sparked days of riots across the country.
Police said the incident was not being treated as terrorism-related, but after searching his home they said Rudakubana was now charged with two more offences: producing a deadly biological toxin, ricin, and possessing an Al Qaeda training manual.
Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said: “We have worked extensively with partners to ensure there is low to very low risk to the public – and I want to provide that reassurance today.”
She said that no ricin was discovered at the scene of the stabbing incident in Southport.
Get daily national news
Get the day’s top political, economic and current affairs news, headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
Major unrest erupted in the town after information spread on social media that the suspected killer was an extremist Islamic immigrant, and the unrest spread across the country with attacks on hotels housing asylum seekers and mosques.
At the time, police sought to quell rumors that had sparked the unrest, saying the suspect was born in Britain and had no links to terrorism.
“You may have seen speculation online that the police decided to hide things from the public. That is certainly not the case,” Kennedy said.
“I realize that the new charges may lead to speculation. The matter with which Axel Rudakubana has been charged under the Terrorism Act does not require proof of motive. In order for something to be declared a terrorist incident, a motive must be established.
Rudakopana appeared in court in August after being charged, but has yet to enter a plea to three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder.
-Reporting by Muvija M and Michael Holden, editing by William James and Kate Holton
