Southport attack suspect charged with making the poison ricin

A teenager who has been accused of stabbing three girls to death at a Taylor Swift dance call with making his own poison and owning an Al Qaeda training manual.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, has been charged with possessing terrorist material and producing the highly toxic ricin which was found in his home.

The terror offence relates to a PDF file entitled Military Studies In The Jihad Against The Tyrants, The Al Qaeda Training Manual, police said.

He was named as the suspect of the stabbings in August, in which eight other children and two adults were seriously injured.

Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, were all killed in the attack.

Sarah Hammond, Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Mersey-Cheshire, said: ‘The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised two further charges against Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, 18, from Banks in Lancashire.

‘Axel Rudakubana already faces three charges of murder, 10 charges of attempted murder and one charge of possession of a knife – all relating to the incident at Hart Street, Southport on 29 July 2024.

‘The two further offences relate to evidence obtained by Merseyside Police during searches of Axel Rudakubana’s home address, as part of the lengthy and complex investigation that followed the events of July 29 2024.’

Rudakubana was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents, and had been living in the village of Banks, just outside Southport, at the time of the attack.

The family reportedly moved to the Southport area around 2013 and lived in a semi-detached property in a quiet cul-de-sac in Banks.

A local source said the alleged killer did not mix with others, that the family are unremarkable and there had been no sign of anything wrong.

Appearing in court in August after he was first charged, Rudakubana initially smiled on entering the courtroom – then kept his face covered by his sweatshirt for the remainder of the proceedings.

In 2018, Rudakubana appeared in a Doctor Who-themed advert for BBC Children In Need.

The now-deleted clip shows him leaving the Tardis wearing a trench coat and tie to look like the show’s former star David Tennant.

The then 11-year-old tells viewers ‘It’s that time of year again’, before offering advice on how best to raise money.

It is understood he was recruited for the video through a casting agency and had nothing to do with any Children In Need projects.

Downing Street said Keir Starmer’s thoughts remain with the families of the Southport attack victims.

A No 10 spokeswoman said: ‘The government is focused on ensuring the families and all those affected receive justice, and first and foremost the prime minister’s thoughts are with those families and the local community. His thoughts remain firmly with them.’

Charging decisions are for the Crown Prosecution Service, she said, adding that the trial would ‘establish the facts of the case’.

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