The teenager who today pleaded guilty to the murder of three young girls at a dance class last year was referred to the government’s anti-terror programme three times before the shocking killings, it has been revealed.
Axel Rudakubana was just 13 when he was first sent to Prevent, a scheme which identifies people who may be falling for terrorist ideologies and attempts to guide them away from carrying out violent acts.
Two further referrals were made in 2021, all while he was living in Lancashire after moving with his family from Cardiff in 2013. After one referral, it was recommended he be sent to other services. It is not known if this happened.
Police say that despite extensive investigation, they could not find evidence of a terrorist motivation for the brutal attack in Southport. On July 29 2024, Rudakubana rushed into the Taylor Swift-themed dance class and stabbed Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine; Bebe King, six; and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven to death.
After the stabbings, an emergency review of Prevent’s previous handling of his case was ordered, to find out whether the required criteria to accept someone for de-radicalisation work, were correctly followed, reports the Mirror.
The Guardian reports that the teen killer was initially referred due to concerns he was browsing material about US school massacres, for which he used computers at his own school, and had a fascination with violence. In 2020, it was decided he did not fit the criteria for the scheme, but referrals to other services should be made.
Another referral to Prevent was made after he was found to have viewed material on Libya and past terrorist attacks, including the attack on London in 2017. It is understood to have consisted of news articles, and at the time of his referral, officials had no information he was viewing or sourcing extremist material.
As he was assessed three times not to pose a terrorism risk, he was outside the scope of the programme. Sources have claimed there is a grey area in cases where there is a fear a young person may be a risk of carrying out violent acts, but there are no signs of any terrorist ideology motivating them.
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One source told the Guardian: “There is a gap for those who are volatile, who need management, who may be dangerous. There is nothing for them.”
Today, Rudakubana pleaded guilty to the three murders, as well as 10 counts of attempted murder, possession of a bladed article and production of a biological toxin, namely ricin. He also pleaded guilty to possession of information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, namely a PDF file entitled “Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants: The Al-Qaeda Training Manual”.
He is due to be sentenced on Thursday, but has already been told ahead of time he will be facing a life sentence.
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