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Associated Press

A teenager pleaded guilty on Monday to charges of killing three girls and wounding 10 other people in a stabbing rampage at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, England last summer.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, entered the surprise plea 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-Qaeda 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.
Justice Julian Goose told Rudakubana he faces life imprisonment when sentenced on Thursday.

Defence lawyer Stanley Reiz said he would present information to the judge about Rudakubana’s mental health that may be relevant to his sentence.
Rudakubana had consistently refused to speak in court and did so once again when asked to identify himself at the start of the proceedings. But he broke his silence when read the 16-count indictment and said “guilty” each time.
None of the surviving victims or family members of those killed were present in court during the guilty plea, the judge noted. They had been expected to arrive for opening statements that were planned for Tuesday.
Goose asked the prosecutor to apologise on his behalf that they were not present to hear Rudakubana plead guilty.
The British government on Monday announced a public inquiry into the killings.
Interior minister Yvette Cooper said answers were needed about Rudakubana and “how he came to be so dangerous, including through a public inquiry that can get to the truth about what happened and what needs to change”.
Prosecutors have not said what they believe led Rudakubana – who was days shy of his 18th birthday – to commit the atrocities.
He pleaded guilty to murder in the deaths of Alice Da Silva Aguiar, 9, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Bebe King, 6.

Eight other girls, ranging in age from 7 to 13, were wounded, along with instructor Leanne Lucas and Jonathan Hayes, who worked in a business next door and intervened. Fifteen other girls, as young as 5, were at the class but uninjured. Under a court order, none of the surviving girls can be named.
Several months after his arrest on the day of the killings, Rudakubana was charged with additional counts for production of a biological toxin, ricin and possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism for having the manual in a document on his computer.
Police said the stabbings were not classified as acts of terrorism because the motive was not known.
The attack sent shock waves across the UK and inspired violence by groups made up mostly of men who were mobilised by far-right activists on social media to attack mosques and hotels housing migrants. They tossed beer bottles, stones and other weapons at police, and set fire to cars as they clashed with officers in dozens of cities.
More than 1,200 people were arrested for the disorder and hundreds have been jailed for up to nine years in prison.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse


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July 29 stabbings led to week of rioting across parts of England and Northern Ireland after suspect was falsely identified as asylum seeker


July 29 stabbings led to week of rioting across parts of England and Northern Ireland after suspect was falsely identified as asylum seeker.


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