Taylor Swift.
Andreas Rentz/TAS24/Getty Images TAS Rights ManagementThe suspect is charged with stabbing a Taylor Swift-themed event in the UK has been blamed for producing poison.
At a press conference on Tuesday, 29 October, Merseyside Police announced that they had charged the suspect Axel Rudakubana18, for producing the deadly poison ricin, according to CBS News. Ricin is a toxin commonly found in castor beans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Chief Constable Serena Kennedy added that no ricin was found at the scene of the fatal stabbing.
Rudakubana will also face terrorism charges for allegedly possessing an Al-Qaida training manual. Authorities clarified that the attack, which took place in July, was not called a “terrorist incident.”
“I realize that new charges can lead to speculation,” Kennedy said Tuesday at the store. “The matter against which Axel Rudakubana was charged under the Terrorism Act does not require the establishment of a reason. In order for the issue to be declared as a terrorist incident, motivation will have to be established.”
Rudakubana was previously charged with murdering three children: Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9. He faces 10 counts of attempted murder and possession of stolen property.
Rudakubana was not previously identified because he was 17 years old when he was attacked. He will appear in court on Wednesday, October 30, and his trial is scheduled for January 2025.
In July, there was a stabbing at a Swift-themed dance and yoga class in Southport, England. Authorities initially confirmed the death of two people and injured nine children, six of them in critical condition. Two adults were also seriously injured. The death toll rose to three following the attack.
Although Swift was not present and did not participate in the event, she expressed her condolences to the families affected.
Samir Hussein/WireImage; Gareth Cattermole/TAS24/Getty Images King Charles III has privately hosted the families of the three girls who died at a Taylor Swift-themed dance at his residence. “His Majesty met the bereaved families at Clarence House earlier today,” a press secretary for Charles, 75, told Us Weekly on Wednesday, August 21. […]
“The horror of yesterday’s attack in Southport has always washed over me, and I am shocked. The loss of life and innocence, and the terrible trauma that happened to everyone who was there, the families and the first responders,” the singer, 34, wrote on her Instagram story at the time. “These were little kids in dance class. I am completely at a loss as to how to convey my grief to these families.”
The following month, Swift met two little girls who had been stabbed at one of her concerts at Wembley Stadium.
“You drew stars on my scars,” reads the caption of a TikTok video uploaded by Sami Foster, mother of the Swifties. “A big thank you to @TaylorSwift and her mom for making the most magical night possible for all of us 🫶🏻 thank you for bringing Hope and Autumn pure joy last night and forever.”