Two teenagers have been apprehended for allegedly planning to imitate the crimes committed by Southport murderer Axel Rudakubana. Rudakubana had been sentenced to life imprisonment for the killings 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.
Authorities disclosed that a 16-year-old boy from Merseyside and a 17-year-old boy from South Wales were taken into custody on suspicion of orchestrating similar attacks. The younger teen is accused of devising a “copycat” assault at a Taylor Swift function, intending to wear a green hoodie resembling that of the aforementioned child killer.
Reportedly, the teenager collected knives, conducted research on local events in Southport, and downloaded the same al-Qaeda manual utilized by Rudakubana to create the lethal poison ricin, as detailed in the Echo reports.
Additionally, the teenager contemplated targeting his former school after leaving and delved into research on high school shootings in the United States. The younger suspect was arrested in August and is facing charges of possessing terrorism-related materials and making threats to kill. His plea is scheduled for the following month.
In a separate incident, a 17-year-old from Cwmbran was arrested in June after allegedly discussing imitating Rudakubana and researching “large knives” on the internet. A note labeled “places to attack” was purportedly found on the boy’s phone, containing directions and images of dance schools near his residence. Data from his phone’s GPS indicated his proximity to the school shortly before his arrest.
It has been claimed that the older teenager explored potential attacks on his school and announced on social media his intention to target the Oasis concert in Cardiff on July 4. Following his arrest, he admitted guilt to possessing a document linked to terrorism.