Two children have been killed and another 11 people have been wounded after a stabbing attack in northwest England.
A 17-year-old male has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder in the stabbing in Southport, a seaside town near Liverpool, Merseyside Police said. The motive was not clear, but police said detectives were not treating the attack as terror-related.
Nine children were wounded in Monday’s assault – six of them are said to be in critical condition.
Two wounded adults who tried to shield the pupils were also in critical condition, police said.
The Taylor Swift-themed workshop was held on the first week of the school holidays for children aged about 6 to 11. The two-hour session was led by two women – a yoga instructor and a dance instructor – according to an online listing.
Witnesses described hearing blood-curdling screams and seeing children covered in blood emerging from the event.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the attack “horrendous and deeply shocking.” King Charles sent his “condolences, prayers and deepest sympathies” for those affected by the “utterly horrific incident.”
The suspect, who has not been identified, lived in a village about 8 kilometres from the site of the attack, police said. He was originally from Cardiff, Wales.
Ryan Carney, who lives with his mother in the street, said his mother saw emergency workers carrying children “covered in red, covered in blood. She said she could see the stab wounds in the backs of the children.”
“All this stuff never really happens around here,” he said. “You hear of it, stabbings and stuff like that in major cities, your Manchesters, your Londons. This is sunny Southport. That’s what people call it. The sun’s out. It’s a lovely place to be.”
Euronews
