LONDON — Armed police in Southport, northwest England, arrested a knife-wielding teenager on suspicion of murder Monday after a mass stabbing attack in the seaside town on the first day of the summer holidays left two children dead and others seriously injured, police said.
Merseyside Police Commissioner Serena Kennedy told a press conference that two children had died from their stab wounds. Nine other children were injured, six of whom remain in a serious condition in local hospitals.
Police say they have detained a teenage boy in connection with a multiple stabbing incident in Southport, England, on July 29. (Video: Reuters)
Two adults were also stabbed and remain in critical condition, and Kennedy said it appeared they were injured while trying to protect their children.
Merseyside Police said they had arrested a 17-year-old boy from the nearby village of Banks on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, and that a knife had also been seized. The boy, originally from Cardiff, Wales, was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.
“We can also confirm that this incident is not currently being considered terrorism-related and we are not seeking anyone else in connection to the incident,” police said.
The attack took place at a small community center where elementary school students were attending a Taylor Swift-themed yoga and dance class, off Hart Street in a residential neighborhood of two-story brick buildings and a few shops.
“Children were attending a Taylor Swift event at a dance school when it appears an assailant entered the premises armed with a knife and began attacking those inside,” Kennedy said at a press conference. “The injured adults were believed to have been trying to protect the children at the time they were attacked.”
Ms Kennedy added: “As a mother of two daughters and grandmother to a five-year-old granddaughter, I cannot even begin to imagine the pain and suffering that the victim’s family is currently experiencing. My heartfelt condolences and sympathy go out to them.”
The attack happened just before midday on the first day of the school holidays.
The North West Ambulance Service said it had dispatched 13 ambulances and a helicopter to “reports of multiple stabbings”. Paramedics treated 11 people at the scene. The injured were taken to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Aintree University Hospital and Southport and Formby Hospital.
Police described the attack as “violent.”
Tim Johnson, a journalist from Eye on Southport, told the BBC he saw a bloody girl being placed on a stretcher.
“Her parents were running after her. It was a horrific scene. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Johnson told the station.
BBC Radio spoke to a man who said he saw girls “bleeding”, and a Press Association reporter spoke to a man who said some of the victims appeared to be girls around 10 years old.
Other witnesses told reporters that parents were marching up and down the streets crying and screaming, and frantic messages flooded local WhatsApp groups for people to go inside and lock their doors.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the stabbing as “horrific and extremely shocking news”.
In a statement on X, King Charles III said: “My wife and I are deeply shocked to hear of the extremely horrific incident that took place in Southport today. We send our heartfelt condolences, prayers and deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones of those who tragically lost their lives, and to all those affected by this truly horrific attack.”
A motive for the stabbing was not immediately clear, but police said the boy was arrested and will be interviewed by detectives, and officers were seen at the home where the boy is believed to live.
Southport is a seaside town known for its beaches and Victorian architecture, about an hour’s drive north of Liverpool, with a population of about 95,000.
