A TEENAGER admitted on Monday to murdering three young girls during a Taylor Swift-themed dance event in Southport last July, eliminating the need for the trial that was set to begin at Liverpool Crown Court.
The government has announced a public inquiry into the attack, which triggered nationwide riots.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, unexpectedly pleaded guilty to the murders of three children and to 10 counts of attempted murder.
He also admitted to producing the poison ricin and possessing an al Qaeda training manual.
The attack, which took place in the northern English town, shocked the country and raised questions about government failures to prevent the tragedy.
Hours after his plea, prime minister Keir Starmer said the attack was "a moment of trauma for the nation" and stated that the inquiry would examine "grave questions" about the state’s failure to protect the victims.
Rudakubana had previously been referred to Prevent, the UK’s counter-radicalisation programme, three times, but no action was taken.
Authorities confirmed he had also been in contact with police, courts, and mental health services.
Ursula Doyle from the Crown Prosecution Service said, "It is clear that this was a young man with a sickening and sustained interest in death and violence. He has shown no signs of remorse."
The victims—Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9—were attending a summer dance workshop when the attack occurred.
Doyle described it as a "meticulously planned rampage."
Rudakubana, who was 17 at the time, initially refused to confirm his name at previous hearings, leading to "not guilty" pleas being entered on his behalf in December.
On Monday, after consulting his lawyer, he admitted to the murders.
Judge Julian Goose said a life sentence was inevitable and scheduled sentencing for Thursday.
Anti-immigrant riots across Britain
The murders sparked large-scale unrest across Britain after false claims circulated on social media that Rudakubana, who was born in Britain, was a radical Islamist migrant.
Riots in Southport escalated to attacks on mosques and asylum-seeker housing nationwide.
Over 1,500 people were arrested during the disturbances, which Starmer attributed to far-right groups.
The Guardian reported that Rudakubana, the son of Christian immigrants from Rwanda, had been referred to Prevent over concerns about his interest in online material on school shootings and past terrorist incidents.
However, he was not deemed a terrorism risk.
Home secretary Yvette Cooper announced the inquiry, saying it would provide answers to the victims’ families about how the attack occurred.
(With inputs from Reuters)
