| 2024 Southport stabbing | |
|---|---|
| Location | Hart Street, Southport, Merseyside, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 53°38′32.5″N 2°59′7.3″W / 53.642361°N 2.985361°W |
| Date | 29 July 2024 c. 11:47 (BST (UTC+1)) |
| Target | Children at a dance workshop |
Attack type | Mass stabbing |
| Weapon | Knife |
| Deaths | 3 |
| Injured | 10 |
| Motive | Unknown |
| Coroner | Julie Goulding |
| Accused | Axel Rudakubana |
| Charges |
|
On 29 July 2024, a mass stabbing targeting children occurred at a dance studio in Southport, Merseyside, United Kingdom. Three children were killed, and ten others – eight of whom were children – were injured. Axel Rudakubana was arrested at the scene and has been charged with three counts of murder, ten counts of attempted murder, and possession of a bladed article. He was 17 years old at the time of the incident.
The attack took place at a Taylor Swift–themed yoga and dance workshop attended by twenty-five children at the Hart Space, a community studio in the Meols Cop area of Southport. Two girls died at the scene, six injured children and two adults were taken to hospital in a critical condition, and a third girl died the following day.
On 30 July, far-right protesters clashed with police in Southport and damaged a mosque after misinformation about the attacker's identity was spread online. Over the next few days, protests and riots spread nationwide. On 1 August, Liverpool Crown Court disclosed Rudakubana's identity – despite his still being a minor at that point – to counter speculation and misinformation.
A motive for the attack has not been identified, although Merseyside Police initially stated they were not treating it as terror-related. In October 2024, Rudakubana was charged with offences under the Biological Weapons Act 1974 and Terrorism Act 2000 in relation to the possession of ricin and a military study of an Al-Qaeda training manual.