A mother hugs her child as they look at floral tributes for the victims (Picture: AFP)
Three children have died and five others are critically injured after a horrific mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift themed children’s dance club.
Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar were stabbed to death at the even at Hart Space Studios on Monday.
Eight other children suffered stab wounds and five are in a critical condition, alongside two adults who were also seriously injured, Merseyside police said.
Witnesses described the scene as ‘the most horrific thing you could ever witness’.
Colin Parry, speaking to Sky News said: ‘I thought: he’s going to kill them all.
‘It’s like a nightmare – the biggest, horrific thing you could ever witness in your life, seeing little kids like that.’
A 17-year-old boy has been arrested following the attack in Southport, Merseyside.
While officers have ruled out terrorism, his motive remains unclear.
How many people have died?
Three children are confirmed to have died, with five others remain in a critical condition in hospital.
They have been named as Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar.
Their families have paid tribute to the young girls, with Bebe King’s loved ones saying: ‘No words can describe the devastation that has hit our family as try to deal with the loss of our little girl Bebe.’
The family of nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar added: ‘Keep smiling and dancing like you love to do our Princess, like we said before to you, you’re always our princess and no one would change that. Love from Your Hero Daddy and Mummy.’
(From left to right) Alice Dasilva Aguiar, Bebe King, and Elsie Dot Stancombe were stabbed to death at the dance studio in Hart Street on Monday (Picture: Merseyside Police)
Forensic officers on Hart Street in Southport, Merseyside (Picture: James Speakman/PA Wire)
Two adults who were inside the yoga studio are also in critical condition after trying to defend the children.
Leanne Lucas, 35, and Heidi Barlow, 35, organised the workshop and are thought to have managed to save 16 of the 25 children.
Chief Constable Kennedy said: ‘It is understood that the children were attending a Taylor Swift event at a dance hall when the offender, armed with a knife, walked into the premises and started to attack inside.
Timeline of Southport stabbing
Monday
11.30am: Footage shows a person dressed in a green hoodie and face covering pacing outside a home later raided by police.
11.47am: A man entered a children’s summer club holding a Taylor Swift dance event on Hart Street, Southport, and launched the stabbing attack.
1.30pm: Merseyside Police declare a ‘critical incident’.
2pm: North West Ambulance Service confirm victims have been taken to hospital, with Alder Hay declaring a ‘major incident’.
5.30pm: Merseyside Police confirm a 17-year-old boy from Banks has been arrested.
7pm: Two children confirmed to have died, with six other people in a critical condition.
Tuesday
12pm: Third child confirmed to have died in the stabbings.
3.20pm: All three victims names as Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar.
6pm: A vigil is held for the stabbing victims, with the Home Secretary Yvetter Cooper
8.30pm: Reports of disorder outside Southport Mosque emerge, with police offficers suffering minor injuries.
8.45pm: Footage shows a police van on fire, with protestors beginning to throw bricks and flares at officers. Violence lasts until around 10pm.
7am: Community condemns the violence from people ‘outside of Southport’ and begin clean up operation.
‘We believe that the adults who were injured were bravely trying to protect the children who were being attacked.
‘As a mum and a nana, I can’t begin to imagine the pain and suffering that the families of the victims are going through.’
A resident told The Sun one of the eachers shut some pupils inside a toilet to try and save them, while the other took some through a fire escape.
He added: ‘I heard some lads from the builders yard and a window cleaner came out and tried to help. They heard shouting, “Get the kids, get the kids”. I don’t know if they’ve tackled him. I heard someone sat on him.’
Who has been arrested?
Merseyside Police a 17-year-old boy from Banks, Lancashire, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.
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People leave flowers near the scene (Picture: James Speakman/PA Wire)
Officers said they ‘detained a male and seized a knife’.
He remains in police custody and his identity has not been made public yet.
Officers said a name which has been circling social media is incorrect and urged people not to speculate online.
Investigators have ruled out terrorism, but the motive remains unclear.
He is thought to have accessed the studios because a door was left open in the heat.
A personal trainer at a nearby gym is thought to have restrained him, The Times reports.
Is there a still a risk to the public?
Police have confirmed no one else is being sought in connection with the attack after they arrested a 17-year-old boy.
Merseyside’s Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell confirmed there is no wider threat to the public.
Aerial footage shows scenes on Hart Street Southport, Merseyside (Picture: ITV)
She said: ‘I am utterly shocked and devastated to hear about the truly appalling incident this morning in Southport.
‘To hear that innocent, defenceless children have been attacked during a Taylor Swift event at a dance school as they enjoyed the start of the school summer holidays is unthinkable and absolutely abhorrent.
‘Thanks to the efforts of police officers, an arrest was made quickly and there is no wider threat to the public.’
Riots broke out at a vigil for the victims after an incorrect name of the suspect began circulating social media.
Footage shows members of the English Defence League throwing bricks and flares and police, with a van even set on fire.
Merseyside Police confirmed
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