Two teenage boys, who cannot be named for legal reasons, have been arrested for allegedly planning to copy the horrific Southport stabbings – with one plotting to wear the same green hoodie
A pair of teenage boys have been arrested for allegedly planning to carry out “copycat crimes” of Axel Rudakubana, who brutally murdered three young girls in Southport. Earlier this year, Rudakubana was put behind bars for the horrific killings of Bebe King, six, Elsie Stancombe, seven, and Alice Aguiar, nine, during a Taylor Swift -themed dance class in 2024.
Now, two boys aged 17 and 16, who cannot be named for legal reasons, have been arrested for planning similar attacks to the Southport stabbings. The 17-year-old from Cwmbran, South Wales, was arrested in June after discussing intentions of emulating Rudakubana and had researched buying “large knives”.
The authorities allegedly discovered a note on the teen’s phone titled “places to attack”, which included directions and photos of a dance school near his home. GPS data from his mobile also revealed that he had been in proximity to the school just days before his arrest.
The teenager had also considered potential attacks on his own school and disclosed plans on social media to target the Oasis reunion gig in Cardiff on July 4. Following his arrest, the 17-year-old pleaded guilty to possessing a document linked to terrorism, reports the Express.
His case has been postponed for psychiatric evaluation due to concerns about a possible autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. He is set to be sentenced in January.
Rudakubana, who was diagnosed with the same disorder, received an 18-month prison sentence for the identical possession offence.
A second arrest of a 16-year-old boy from Merseyside occurred after he had allegedly planned an attack mirroring Rudakubana’s actions. He allegedly plotted to target a Taylor Swift-themed gathering whilst donning a green hoodie – identical to that worn by the Southport killer.
He has been accused of collecting knives, travelling to Southport, researching the event and downloading the same al-Qaeda manual which Rudakubana used to make poison ricin with.
The teenager also considered attacking his former school after dropping out, and has researched high school shootings in the United States, it has been claimed, The 16-year-old was arrested in August and was charged with possessing documents useful for terrorism and making threats to kill. He will enter pleas next month.
The two arrests emerge after the first phase of the Southport Inquiry finished, which investigated the potential missed opportunities to prevent Rudakubana from killing.
Lancashire Police’s Assistant Chief Constable Mark Winstanley highlighted that “sadly, there are other children out there with similar interests and behaviours” to Rudakubana.
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