A multiple stabbing in the British municipality of Southport, in the county of Merseyside (in the northwest of England), has caused the death of at least two children and injuries to another nine minors (six of them in critical condition). According to witnesses, a man who has already been arrested indiscriminately attacked the victims with a knife in an area where an event for primary school children was being held. Some have described scenes described as “from a horror film”, with girls with apparently serious injuries, screams from mothers and the reaction of several adults who have taken children to their homes to keep them safe. Others who tried to intervene were also injured.
Police have declared the incident a “serious incident”, but Merseyside Police Chief Constable Emily Spurrell said the suspect had been arrested and there was no longer a risk to the public. A motive for the attack has not yet been released, but it is not related to terrorism. In a statement, police said: “We can confirm that a 17-year-old boy from Banks, who was arrested in connection with the stabbing in Southport this morning, Monday 29 July, remains in police custody and will be questioned about the incident. At this early stage, enquiries are ongoing to establish the motive for this tragic incident and we would urge people not to speculate while the investigation is ongoing.”
In a statement, the police explained that at 11.50 on Monday (one hour earlier in mainland Spain) they received a call to go to Hart Street, in a residential area of Southport, for a series of stabbings of which they gave no further details, beyond that there had been “a certain number of injuries”. Armed officers arrested an individual, who was later taken to a police station, and a knife was seized from him.
North West Ambulance Service has confirmed that crews sent to the scene treated eight people, who were taken to three hospitals, including Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, which has also issued a “serious incident” statement and asked families to only go to its emergency department if it is an emergency.
According to people at the scene cited by the BBC, the Hope of Hart children’s centre, in a former warehouse building in the area, was hosting a yoga and dance workshop to Taylor Swift at the time, although police have not commented on whether these took place inside. According to Sky News, the incident occurred at a pregnancy care centre called Hart Space.
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the news as “horrible and deeply shocking” in a post on social media, adding that his “thoughts are with all those affected.” The Labour leader praised the “swift response” of the police and emergency services, a tribute shared by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who confirmed in Parliament that she was being informed of the situation by the security forces.
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