Axel Rudakubana also admitted attempting to murder 10 other people at a Taylor Swift-themed class in Southport, England, last July, and to the production of ricin, a toxin.
An 18-year-old British man Monday admitted to murdering three girls and attempting to kill 10 other people during a brutal knife attack at a dance class last July in Southport, England.
The defendant, Axel Rudakubana, unexpectedly pleaded guilty to all charges against him on the first day of his trial at Liverpool Crown Court.
Mr. Rudakubana admitted to killing Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9, who were taking part in a Taylor Swift-themed dance and bracelet-making class on July 29 during their summer break from school, and to the attempted murder of 10 people, including eight children and two adults.
After the stabbings, the police searched Mr. Rudakubana’s house and said they found ricin, a lethal toxin, and a PDF file titled “Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants: The Al Qaeda Training Manual.” Mr. Rudakubana was subsequently charged with production of a biological toxin and with “possessing information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.”
On Monday, Mr. Rudakubana, who had initially pleaded not guilty, appeared in court, sitting at the back of the room in the defense dock and wearing a gray sweatsuit, though he repeatedly refused requests from the court to identify himself or to speak at a volume that the judge could hear.
The BBC reported that Mr. Rudakubana, whose mouth was covered with a surgical mask, uttered a mumbled “guilty” as each count in the indictment against him was read out.
