Two adolescents have been apprehended for allegedly planning to imitate the actions of Southport perpetrator Axel Rudakubana. Rudakubana was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of three young girls – Bebe King, aged six, Elsie Stancombe, aged seven, and Alice Aguiar, aged nine, during a dance class inspired by Taylor Swift last year.
A 16-year-old male from Merseyside and a 17-year-old male from South Wales have been detained on suspicion of devising similar assaults, as disclosed recently. The younger individual is accused of scheming a “copycat” assault at a Taylor Swift function, intending to don a green hoodie resembling that worn by the child murderer.
It is alleged that he procured knives and even journeyed to Southport to investigate local gatherings. Additionally, the teenager is accused of downloading the same al-Qaeda guide utilized by Rudakubana to create the lethal poison ricin, according to the Echo.
Moreover, the teenager contemplated targeting his former school post his departure and conducted research on high school shootings in the United States.
The youngest suspect, taken into custody in August, faces charges of possessing terrorism-related documents and making threats to commit murder. He is scheduled to enter pleas next month.
On the other hand, a 17-year-old from Cwmbran was arrested in June following discussions about emulating Rudakubana and exploring “large knives” online. A memo titled “places to attack” was purportedly discovered on the youth’s phone, detailing locations and images of dance studios near his vicinity. Data from his phone’s GPS indicated his proximity to the school shortly before his arrest.
Allegedly, the older teen had probed potential assaults on his school and announced his intentions to target the Oasis concert in Cardiff on July 4 via social media.
Subsequent to his arrest, he has pleaded guilty to possessing a document linked to terrorism.
