A British teenager unexpectedly pleaded guilty Monday to murdering three young girls in a stabbing attack in northern England in July, a crime that horrified the nation and was followed by days of nationwide riots.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, changed his plea from not guilty to guilty on what was due to be the first day of his trial at Liverpool Crown Court.
He pleaded guilty to murdering Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, who were attending a Taylor Swift-themed dance event for children during summer holidays in the town of Southport last July. .
Rudakubana also pleaded guilty to 10 counts of attempted murder related to the attack, as well as producing ricin, a deadly poison, and possessing an al-Qaeda training manual.
Judge Julian Goose said he would sentence Rudakubana on Thursday and that a life sentence was inevitable. Goose noted that the victims’ families were not present to see Rudakubana plead guilty, as the prosecution was not scheduled to begin until Tuesday.
Rudakubana, who was 17 at the time of the incident, initially refused to speak when asked to confirm his name, as he had done in all previous hearings, meaning that a Not guilty plea had been entered on his behalf in December.
But after consulting his lawyer, he confirmed that he wanted to modify these arguments.
British-born Rudakubana was arrested shortly after the attack in the quiet seaside town north of the city of Liverpool.
Despite the discovery of the al-Qaeda manual, police said the incident was not considered terrorism-related.
Following the killings, widespread unrest broke out in Southport after false information spread on social media that the suspected killer was a radical Islamist migrant.
The unrest has spread across Britain with attacks on mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer blaming the riots on far-right brutalism. More than 1,500 people were arrested.
