(Southport) A children’s activity turns to carnage: two children died and eleven people, including nine children, were injured on Monday during a “knife attack” at a dance school in the northwest of England.
Police arrested a 17-year-old boy and said they had ruled out a terrorist motive at this stage, saying the motives of the alleged attacker remained “uncertain” at this stage.
The attack happened just before noon (7 a.m. Eastern Time) on Monday in the small coastal town of Southport, about 12 miles north of Liverpool.
“The children were attending an event on the theme of [la chanteuse américaine] Taylor Swift at a dance school when the assailant, armed with a knife, entered the building and began attacking the children inside,” Merseyside Police Chief Serena Kennedy said at a press conference later in the day.
Referring to a “ferocious attack”, she listed the heavy toll: two children killed, nine others injured, six of whom were in a “critical” condition, and two adults also injured and in a serious condition, probably while trying to “protect” the children.
PHOTO JAMES SPEAKMAN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
The United Kingdom, where the carrying of firearms is strictly restricted, is experiencing a resurgence of knife violence (attacks on people, burglaries, etc.), which often involves young people.
“All the injured suffered stab wounds,” she added.
“I know the whole country is deeply shocked,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said. “Our thoughts are with the victims and their families. It is impossible to imagine their grief,” he said in a video message.
King Charles III offered his “deepest condolences, prayers and deepest sympathy” in a statement, calling the incident “utterly horrible.”
Prince William and his wife Kate wrote on X that “as parents we cannot imagine what the families, friends and loved ones of those killed and injured in Southport are going through.”
Dave Kitchin, the local emergency services chief, described the “devastating scene” seen by emergency services arriving at the scene at a press conference.
This attack “will leave a lasting mark on our entire community,” he added.
PHOTO JAMES SPEAKMAN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Emergency services said they treated and transported several injured people to hospitals, including one for children.
Shortly after the attack, police arrested a man and announced that they had seized a knife. A little later, they specified that the suspect was a “17-year-old male” who is currently in custody.
Emergency services said they treated and transported several injured people to hospitals, including one for children.
A large police force was deployed on site, an AFP journalist noted.
” Horrible ”
Several witnesses described the “screams” of women rushing to the scene after learning of the attack.
Bare Varathan, a local shopkeeper, told PA he saw “seven to 10 children” outside the building, “injured and bleeding”.
Colin Parry, who also runs a shop on the street where the attack took place, described the scene as “horror film-like”, adding that he saw mothers running screaming towards the scene of the attack.
“All our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those affected,” she said, speaking in the House of Commons before the death toll was known.
The United Kingdom, where the carrying of firearms is strictly restricted, is experiencing a resurgence of knife violence (attacks on people, burglaries, etc.), which often involves young people.
They increased by 7% to almost 50,000 last year compared to 2022, and have almost doubled in ten years, according to the National Statistics Office.