A 17-year-old man was arrested on Monday (29 July) in connection with a devastating mass knife attack in northwest England that left two children dead and nine others injured.
The event was a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga event for children aged about 6 to 11 in Southport, an English seaside town of about 100,000. Officers were called around midday to reports of the fatal attack and have since confirmed there is no ongoing threat to the public.
Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy shared a statement after the incident. “It is with great sadness that I am here today to report that two young children have died as a result of injuries sustained in a knife attack this morning,” Kennedy wrote. “Nine other children have been injured and six of them are in a critical condition, all injured from stab wounds sustained during the attack. Two adults are also in a critical condition after being injured during the incident.”
The statement continued that the 17-year-old is currently in police custody for questioning and has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. “It is understood the children were attending a Taylor Swift event at a dance school when the attacker, who was armed with a knife, entered the premises and began attacking those inside. We believe the adults who were injured were trying to protect the children at the time they were attacked,” Kennedy's statement continued. “As a mother of two daughters and nanny to a five-year-old granddaughter, I cannot begin to imagine the pain and suffering that the families of the victims are going through right now and I want to send them our deepest condolences and sympathies. ”
The UK's worst attack on children occurred in 1996 in Dunblane, Scotland, per ABC News, when a 43-year-old man shot and killed 16 kindergarteners and their teacher at a gym. The UK then banned private ownership of most guns.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/mass-stabbing-taylor-swift-themed-event-southport-england-1235742388/
