17-year-old boy remanded in custody for murder of three children

The 17-year-old boy charged on Thursday August 1 with the murder of three girls in a knife attack in Southport (England) was remanded in custody by a judge in a juvenile facility following his appearance on Thursday before a court in Liverpool.

The young man, also charged with ten counts of attempted murder in the attack in which eight children and two adults were also injured, is due to appear later on Thursday at Liverpool Criminal Court, which deals with the most serious cases.

Earlier in the morning, the public prosecutor “authorised Merseyside Police to charge a 17-year-old male resident of Banks, Lancashire”he reported in a statement. The teenager is targeted by “three counts of murder and ten [autres] of attempted murder, following the tragic event in Southport this week”he added.

The authorities have also tried to appeal to patience and caution from a population demanding answers about the attacker’s motivations. On Wednesday, the British police deployed significant resources to prevent further violence in Southport. The day before, violent clashes had broken out, strongly condemned by the government.

About a hundred protesters lit fires and clashed with police, according to an AFP journalist present at the scene. Some set fire to vehicles, “threw bricks at a local mosque and damaged a grocery store”Merseyside Police said. Law enforcement “suspect” the protesters to be “supports” of the English Defence League (EDL), a far-right movement.