UK stabbing: 2 children killed, 9 others injured in ‘ferocious attack,’ police say
Two children have died and nine others have been injured in a "ferocious" stabbing in the United Kingdom.
A 17-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder after the attack in Southport, a seaside town near Liverpool.
Those who were injured included adults and children, according to police.
A police officer lays flowers at the scene of a multiple stabbing attack on July 29, 2024 in Southport, England. (Credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
"We believe the adults who were injured were bravely trying to protect the children who were being attacked," Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said.
The suspect, who has not been identified, lived in a village about 5 miles (8 kilometers) from the site of the attack, police said. He was originally from Cardiff, Wales.
The motive was not clear, but police said detectives were not treating the attack as terror-related.
Emergency services near the scene in Hart Street, Southport, of a knife attack where two children died and nine were injured. (Credit: James Speakman/PA Images via Getty Images)
The Taylor Swift-themed workshop was held on the first week of school vacation for children aged about 6 to 11. An advertisement for the two-hour session promised yoga, dance and bracelet making.
Merseyside Police said officers were called at about noon to a "major incident" but said there was no wider threat to the public.
"When they arrived they were shocked to find that multiple people, many of whom were children, had been subjected to a ferocious attack and had suffered serious injuries," Kennedy said.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the stabbing spree "horrendous and deeply shocking."
"My thoughts are with all those affected. I would like to thank the police and emergency services for their swift response," he said. "I am being kept updated as the situation develops."
Britain’s worst attack on children occurred in 1996, when 43-year-old Thomas Hamilton shot 16 kindergarten pupils and their teacher dead in a school gymnasium in Dunblane, Scotland. The U.K. subsequently banned the private ownership of almost all handguns.
Mass shootings and murders with firearms are rare in Britain, where knives were used in about 40% of homicides in the year to March 2023. Several headline grabbing attacks and a recent rise in knife crime have stoked anxieties and led to calls for the government to do more to clamp down on bladed weapons.
The Associated Press, FOX News and Storyful contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.