The English town of Southport was the scene of clashes between protesters and police the day after the death of at least three girls in a mass stabbing inflicted by an unnamed 17-year-old male.
The victims, Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Bebe King, 6, were attending a Taylor Swift-themed dance class at the time of the attack. The pop star wrote, “I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families” in her Instagram stories.
TAYLOR SWIFT ‘COMPLETELY IN SHOCK’ AFTER THIRD CHILD DEAD IN UK DANCE CLASS STABBING
North West Ambulance Services reported via X that 22 police officers have been treated, and at least 11 have been taken to the hospital in the wake of the Southport riots. At least one police van has been set ablaze by the crowds. A source describes the town as “quiet.”
While plenty of conjecture has been offered online as to the identity of the attacker and his family, both the AP and the Sun report that the suspect was born in Cardiff, Wales. Merseyside Police have overseen the investigation thus far.
(Richard McCarthy/PA via AP)
“There has been much speculation and hypothesis around the status of a 17-year-old male who is currently in police custody and some individuals are using this to bring violence and disorder to our streets,” Assistant Chief Constable Alex Goss with the Merseyside Police said to the Associated Press.
“We have already said that the person arrested was born in the U.K. and speculation helps nobody at this time.”
The Sun reported that the parents of the suspected attacker, born in 2006, moved to the United Kingdom from Rwanda.
A neighbor of the family described them to the Sun as Christians, “very normal,” and having a “hard-working father and stay-at-home mother.”
Reform U.K. leader Nigel Farage took to social media earlier today in a video statement, positing, “I just wonder whether the truth is being withheld from us. I don’t know the answer to that, but I think it is a fair and legitimate question.”
An unruly crowd clash with police, Tuesday, July 30, 2024, in Southport, northwest England, near where three girls were stabbed to death in a dance class the day before. The violence erupted shortly after a peaceful vigil was attended by hundreds in the center of Southport to mourn the 13 victims of the stabbings, including seven still in critical condition. (Richard McCarthy/PA via AP)
“What I do know is something is going horribly wrong in our once beautiful country.”
It is unclear what punishments protesters may face. Police vans and garbage bins have been set ablaze in the melee.
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The mass stabbing and potential suspect are part of an active investigation.
Fox News’ Ian Leonard contributed to this article.
