- Third child dies after knife attack in England
A third child has died from the knife attack** in the British town of Southport. The child was a nine-year-old girl, according to the Merseyside Police. Doctors are fighting to save the lives of five more children and two adults who were seriously injured.
After a vigil, there were riots in the evening. Many people threw objects at a mosque and then attacked police officers with paving stones. A police car was set on fire, and at least one officer was injured.
The background to this is, according to local reporters, false reports about the origin of the suspected perpetrator. Right-wing online accounts had spread that it was an immigrant with an Arabic-sounding name. In fact, the 17-year-old suspect is the son of a couple from Ruanda and was born in the Welsh capital Cardiff before moving to the Southport region in 2013.
In total, eight children are being treated in hospitals. Prime Minister Keir Starmer thanked the rescue services and first responders during a visit.
Taylor Swift with an emotional message
Two girls were killed in the attack on Monday. They were six and seven years old, the police said. The children had participated in a holiday camp focused on Taylor Swift. The US superstar expressed her shock in an emotional message.
"The horror of yesterday's attack in Southport is still going through my head, and I'm completely shocked," Swift, 34, wrote on her Instagram story. "They were just little kids at a dance class. I don't know how to express my sympathy to these families."
The singer mourned "the loss of life and innocence" and remembered "the terrible trauma of the families and first responders."
Holiday camp focused on Taylor Swift
The holiday course for children aged six to eleven was fully booked with 25 participants, according to the BBC. The schedule included a dance and yoga workshop and making friendship bracelets like those worn by many Taylor Swift fans. A Swift fan's fundraising campaign for the families has so far raised around £234,000 (€277,700). Thousands of pounds have also been collected on other platforms.
The suspected perpetrator, who was arrested at the scene, is still being questioned. The motive is still unclear. The police believe it is a lone attacker and are not looking for anyone else. They are not currently treating it as a terrorist incident. The police have also stated that a name circulating online as the suspect is false.
Southport in shock
The north-west English town of Southport, with a population of around 90,000 between Liverpool and Blackpool, is in shock. Some shops closed out of respect for the victims, and the local football club Southport FC canceled a friendly match.
The crime scene was cordoned off. Mourners laid flowers, handwritten letters, and teddy bears. In the evening, hundreds of people gathered for a vigil, observing a minute's silence and lighting candles.
Prime Minister Starmer said at a meeting with rescue services that he was proud of their selfless efforts. "Thanks to what you did yesterday, children are alive today. That's incredible. That's what you do every day, but it's under the most difficult circumstances," Starmer said.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper also visited the scene. She emphasized that the new Starmer government will take tough action against the widespread knife crime in the UK. "Our thoughts are with the injured children, and we pray for them," the minister said.
Despite the tragic loss of eight children in the knife attack, Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited the hospitals to express his sympathies and thank the rescue services for their efforts.
Taylor Swift, deeply affected by the incident, sent an emotional message expressing her shock and sympathies towards the families of the two girls who died in the attack.
