Southport murder suspect charged with terror offence and producing ricin

The suspect charged with the murder of three girls in Southport is to be separately prosecuted on suspicion of possessing terrorist material and producing the highly toxic poison ricin, police have said.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, will appear at Westminster magistrates court on Wednesday charged with producing the biological toxin ricin and having a document titled Military studies in the Jihad against the Tyrants – the Al-Qaida training manual.

However, Serena Kennedy, the chief constable of Merseyside police, said the murder of the three girls – Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven – was not being treated as a terrorist incident.

Rudakubana was arrested on 29 July shortly after a a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport in the first week of the school summer holiday.

As well as the three murder charges, he is also charged with 10 attempted murders for alleged attacks on a further eight children and two adults. He is also charged with possessing a bladed article.

In a press conference at Merseyside police headquarters on Tuesday, Kennedy said the new charges followed a “lengthy and complex” investigation, and urged members of the public not to speculate about the alleged offences.

She said there was no evidence that ricin was present at Hart Space, the scene of the knife attack, and that counter-terrorism police had “not declared the events of 29 July as a terrorist incident”.

Kennedy said she realised the new charges “may lead to speculation” but that for a matter to be declared as terrorism a motivation would need to be established.

The chief constable said counter-terrorism officers were continuing to assess the evidence and that the full case against Rudakubana, who was born in Cardiff, would be disclosed at the planned criminal trial in January.

“I would strongly advise everyone to avoid speculation about the motivation in this case,” she said.

“The criminal proceedings against Axel Rudakubana are live and he has a right to a fair trial. It is extremely important that there is no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online that could prejudice these procedures.”

Kennedy said the ricin, a potentially fatal toxin, had been discovered at Rudakubana’s home in the village of Banks, about 5 miles from Southport.

She said: “My plea is to be patient. Don’t engage in rumour speculation. Don’t believe everything you read on social media.

“We must not lose sight of the families of Elsie, Bebe and Alice, who are still grieving, and the families of the others who were present at Hart Street on 29 July. We must do everything to ensure the justice process is not prejudiced.”

Since the initial arrest and charging of Rudakubana the investigation has continued, involving officers from Merseyside police, assisted by counter-terrorism detectives.

The new charges were authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service.

On 31 July, Rudakubana was charged with murdering Alice Bebe and Elsie two days earlier.

Eight other children sustained knife wounds – with five of them left in a critical condition – while two adults were also critically hurt. All have now been discharged from hospital.

After Wednesday’s magistrates court hearing, Rudakubana is next due in court on 13 November at Liverpool crown court.

The killings led to the spread of disinformation about the suspect, and to a series of riots across England that resulted in more than 1,000 people being charged and police vowing there would be more to come.

A spokesperson for the National Police Chiefs’ Council said police had made 1,590 arrests, and together with the Crown Prosecution Service brought a total of 1,015 charges.

“Inquiries continue regarding 216 wanted people whom the police are actively seeking to arrest,” the spokesperson said. “In addition, we continue to examine footage and forensics from the riots and expect further suspects will be identified in due course.”

Bebe’s family said after her death: “No words can describe the devastation that has hit our family as we try to deal with the loss of our little girl Bebe.”

Alice’s family said: “Keep smiling and dancing like you love to do our Princess, like we said before to you, you’re always our princess and no one would change that. Love from Your Hero Daddy and Mummy.”