Southport killer Axel Rudakubana referred to anti-terror scheme three times before tragedy

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The teenager who today pleaded guilty to the murder of three young girls at a dance class last year was referred to the government's anti-terror programme three times before the shocking killings, it has been revealed.Axel Rudakubana was just 13 when he was first sent to Prevent, a scheme which identifies people who may be falling for terrorist ideologies and attempts to guide them away from carrying out violent acts.Two further referrals were made in 2021, all while he was living in Lancashire after moving with his family from Cardiff in 2013.

After one referral, it was recommended he be sent to other services. It is not known if this happened.Police say that despite extensive investigation, they could not find evidence of a terrorist motivation for the brutal attack in Southport.

On July 29 2024, Rudakubana rushed into the Taylor Swift-themed dance class and stabbed Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine; Bebe King, six; and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven to death.After the stabbings, an emergency review of Prevent's previous handling of his case was ordered, to find out whether the required criteria to accept someone for de-radicalisation work, were correctly followed, reports the Mirror.The Guardian reports that the teen killer was initially referred due to concerns he was browsing material about US school massacres, for which he used computers at his own school, and had a fascination with violence.

In 2020, it was decided he did not fit the criteria for the scheme, but referrals to other services should be made.Another referral to Prevent was made after he was found to have viewed material on Libya and past terrorist attacks, including the attack on London in 2017.