LONDON — In a scene stabbing rampage of a nightmare, bloodied children fled a dance and yoga class, screaming in terror, following a brutal knife attack in Southport, northwest England. The assault, which occurred on Monday, claimed the lives of two children and injured 11 others, including six critically, according to Merseyside Police and witness accounts.
The assailant, a 17-year-old boy, was apprehended on charges of murder and attempted murder. The motive behind the attack remains unclear, but authorities have stated that they do not consider it to be terror-related.
Among the injured were nine children, six of whom are in critical condition, highlighting a concerning spike in knife-related crimes that has ignited public anxiety and demands for stricter government control over bladed weapons.
Two adults, who reportedly tried to protect the children, are also in critical condition. Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy praised their courage, noting, “We believe the adults who were injured were bravely trying to protect the children who were being attacked.”
The tragic incident occurred during a Taylor Swift-themed workshop held at the beginning of the school vacation, intended for children aged 6 to 11. The two-hour session was facilitated by a yoga instructor and a dance instructor, as per an online event listing.
Witnesses recounted chilling screams and the sight of children emerging covered in blood from the establishment, which hosts a variety of activities ranging from pregnancy workshops to meditation sessions and women’s boot camps.
Bare Varathan, a nearby shop owner, described the aftermath, saying, “They were in the road, running from the nursery. They had been stabbed, here, here, here, everywhere,” as he pointed to his neck, back, and chest.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the attack as “horrendous and deeply shocking,” while King Charles III extended his “condolences, prayers, and deepest sympathies” to those affected by the “utterly horrific incident.”
Police were alerted shortly before noon to a street lined with small businesses, set behind rows of brick houses in the town, which has a population of about 100,000.
The first responders were met with a shocking scene of “ferocious attack” casualties, predominantly children suffering from severe injuries, according to Kennedy.
Colin Parry, the owner of an auto body shop, remarked that most of the victims appeared to be young girls. “The mothers are coming here now and screaming,” Parry said. “It is like a scene from a horror movie… It’s like something from America, not like sunny Southport.”
The suspect, who has yet to be identified, is from a village about five miles (eight kilometers) away and originally hails from Cardiff, Wales.
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Ryan Carney, a local resident, recounted his mother’s experience, describing how she witnessed emergency responders carrying children “covered in red, covered in blood. She said she could see the stab wounds in the backs of the children.”
“This sort of thing never really happens around here,” Carney added. “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.”
The tragedy is reminiscent of Britain’s worst attack on children, which occurred in 1996 when 43-year-old Thomas Hamilton fatally shot 16 kindergarten pupils and their teacher in a school gymnasium in Dunblane, Scotland. The incident led the U.K. to enact stringent gun control laws, banning the private ownership of almost all handguns. In Britain, mass shootings and killings with firearms are rare, with knives being involved in approximately 40% of homicides in the year leading up to March 2023.
