LONDON (AP) — A teen pleaded guilty Monday to charges of killing three girls and wounding 10 other people in a stabbing rampage at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in England last summer. Axel Rudakubana, 18, pleaded guilty at the start of his trial at Liverpool Crown Court. He pleaded guilty to three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and additional charges related to possessing the poison ricin and for having an al-Qaida manual.
The July 29 stabbings led to a week of rioting across parts of England and Northern Ireland after the suspect was falsely identified as an asylum-seeker who had recently arrived in Britain by boat. He was born in Wales. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE.
AP’s earlier story follows below. LONDON (AP) — It was the first day of summer vacation and the little girls at the Hart Space, a sanctuary hidden behind a row of houses, were there to dance to the music of Taylor Swift . What was supposed to be a day of joy turned to terror and heartbreak when an intruder with a knife attacked the girls and their teacher on July 29 in the seaside town of Southport in northwest England.
The teen arrested in the aftermath goes on trial Monday on three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and additional charges related to possessing the poison ricin and for having an al-Qaida manual. The trial is expected to last four weeks. Axel Rudakubana, 18, who has refused to speak in court, had pleas of not guilty entered on his behalf at Liverpool Cr.