Knife attack in Southport, England: three children killed, eleven injured

 

Three little girls were killed and eleven people injured in a knife attack in the northern English town of Southport on Monday July 29, local police chief Serena Kennedy said, describing it as a “ferocious attack”.

 

Nine children were also injured, six of them in “critical” condition, as were two adults. The latter were “bravely trying to protect the children who were attacked”, according to Mrs. Kennedy, speaking at a press conference. The attack took place at around midday local time, during a children's dance and yoga event based around the world of Taylor Swift. “The assailant, armed with a knife, entered the building and began attacking the children inside” the dance school, the Merseyside police officer detailed. “All the injured suffered stab wounds,” she added.

 

Dave Kitchin, head of local emergency services, described at a press conference the “devastating scene” witnessed by emergency services arriving on the scene. This attack “will leave a lasting mark on our entire community”, he added.

 

Local Merseyside police said they had arrested a 17-year-old man, who was taken into custody. It said it did not consider the attack to be “terrorism-related”. “Enquiries are ongoing to establish the motive for this tragic incident and we urge people not to speculate while the investigation is ongoing,” it added.

 

Emergency services reported having treated and transported several injured to hospitals, including one for children. A large police force was deployed at the scene, according to a journalist from Agence France-Presse (AFP).

 

Colin Parry, who runs a business on the street where the attack took place, told PA he witnessed a scene “worthy of a horror movie”, with “mothers screaming”. “Something like this happens in America, not in our sunny Southport,” he added. Another shopkeeper, Bare Varathan, reported seeing between seven and ten bleeding children running away. 

 

The Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, said that “the whole country [was] deeply shocked”. He had previously described the event as “horrific and deeply shocking” and said he would keep abreast of developments. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper praised the “swift and courageous response” of the police and emergency services to the “terrible incident”. “Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those affected,” she said, speaking in the House of Commons.

 

In a statement, the King, Charles III, offered his “heartfelt condolences, prayers and deepest sympathy”, describing the incident as “utterly horrific”. Prince William and his wife, Kate, wrote on X that “as parents we cannot imagine what the families, friends and loved ones of those killed and injured at Southport are going through”.

 

The UK, where the carrying of firearms is strictly restricted, is experiencing an upsurge in stabbings (attacks on people, burglaries, etc.), often involving young people. According to the Office for National Statistics, the number of stabbings has risen by 7%, to almost 50,000 last year, compared with 2022, and has almost doubled in ten years.