The 17-year-old boy charged with murdering three girls and stabbing 10 other people in a dance class was named in court Thursday partly to counter misinformation about his identity that has been blamed for triggering violent protests across England.
Judge Andrew Menary said his decision to allow Axel Rudakubana to be named was exceptional given the boy含羞草研究社檚 age. But he said the teen will lose his right to anonymity when he turns 18 next week and continuing to shield his identity could allow false information about his name and immigration status to metastasize.
含羞草研究社淐ontinuing to prevent the full reporting has the disadvantage of allowing others to spread misinformation, in a vacuum,含羞草研究社� Menary said in Liverpool Crown Court.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer convened a meeting with British police chiefs to address the crisis after officers in several cities have been pelted with bottles and rocks during two nights of violent clashes. Starmer condemned the 含羞草研究社渢hugs含羞草研究社� in the 含羞草研究社渕arauding mobs含羞草研究社� that attacked some of the same officers who had responded to the horrific stabbing.
含羞草研究社淭his is not protest, this is violent disorder and action will be taken,含羞草研究社� Starmer said.
The attack Monday on children at a Taylor Swift-themed summer holiday dance class shocked a country where knife crime is a long-standing and vexing problem, though mass stabbings are rare. The deaths have been used by far-right activists to stoke anger at immigrants and Muslims 含羞草研究社� though the suspect is not an immigrant, and his religion has not been disclosed.
Rudakubana, who police said was born in Wales, has not been charged with terrorism offenses but faces three counts of murder over the deaths of Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Bebe King, 6, in the seaside town of Southport in northwest England.
He also has been charged with 10 counts of attempted murder for the eight children and two adults who were injured.
Rudakubana did not enter a plea and was ordered held without bail and returned to youth detention, though Menary said that might change after his birthday. His next court date is Oct. 25.
The adults, who were listed in critical condition, were named for the first time as Leanne Lucas, who led the dance and yoga class, and John Hayes, who worked nearby and intervened in the attack to protect children. The injured children cannot be named because of their ages.
Two of the children were discharged Thursday, Alder Hey Children含羞草研究社檚 hospital said. Five others were in stable condition at the hospital.
Prosecutors did not disclose a motive for the crime, but they revealed that the weapon used was a kitchen knife with a curved blade, according to an additional charge he faces.
The suspect, wearing a gray tracksuit, smiled briefly at reporters during an initial appearance in Liverpool Magistrates含羞草研究社� Court. At his subsequent appearance in the Crown Court, he pulled his sweatshirt up to his hair to cover his face. He did not speak.
Neither the teen含羞草研究社檚 parents nor family members of victims were in court.
Far-right demonstrators 含羞草研究社� fueled, in part, by online misinformation 含羞草研究社� have held several violent protests, ostensibly in response to the attack, clashing with police outside a mosque in Southport on Tuesday and causing a melee near the prime minister含羞草研究社檚 office in London the next day.
Hundreds of protesters chanting 含羞草研究社渨e want our country back含羞草研究社� hurled beer cans and bottles near the prime minister含羞草研究社檚 Downing Street residence in London on Wednesday evening, and launched flares at a nearby statue of wartime leader Winston Churchill. More than 100 people were arrested for offenses including violent disorder and assault on an emergency worker, London含羞草研究社檚 Metropolitan Police force said.
Police officers were pelted with bottles and eggs in the town of Hartlepool in northeast England, where a police car was set ablaze. A smaller disturbance was reported in Manchester.
On Tuesday night, a crowd of several hundred people hurled bricks and bottles at riot police in Southport, set trash cans and vehicles on fire and looted a store, hours after a peaceful vigil for the stabbing victims.
Police said a name circulating on social media purported to be the suspect含羞草研究社檚 含羞草研究社� spread by far-right activists and accounts of murky origin purporting to be news organizations 含羞草研究社� was incorrect and that the suspect was born in Britain, contrary to online claims he was an asylum-seeker.
Jonathan Brash, a member of Parliament from Hartlepool, said there needs to be a conversation on how misinformation is being spread by the far-right on social media to incite violence.
含羞草研究社淚 see it almost every single day 含羞草研究社� straight-up lies about these situations designed to cause violence, to incite racial hatred,含羞草研究社� Brash, a Labour politician, told BBC Radio 4. 含羞草研究社淲e have to deal with that situation because there is so much misinformation and it含羞草研究社檚 being spread quite deliberately to stoke tension in communities and ultimately it含羞草研究社檚 the communities that are suffering as a result.含羞草研究社�
Jill Lawless And Brian Melley, The Associated Press
