LONDON (news agencies) — Three young girls killed in a stabbing rampage at a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga class in northwestern England were identified Tuesday as police questioned the 17-year-old suspect arrested in the attack that wounded 10 others.
Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, died early Tuesday from her injuries, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Bebe King, 6, died Monday, police said.
“Keep smiling and dancing like you love to do our princess,” Aguiar’s parents said in a statement released by police. “Like we said before to you, you’re always our princess and no one would change that.”
King’s family said no words could describe their devastation at the loss “of our little girl Bebe.”
Eight children and two adults remain hospitalized after the attack in Southport. Both adults and five of the children are in critical condition.
Swift said on Instagram that she was “completely in shock” and still taking in “the horror” of the event.
“These were just little kids at a dance class,” she wrote. “I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.”
People left flowers and stuffed animals in tribute at a police cordon on the street lined with brick houses in the seaside resort near Liverpool where the beach and pier attract vacationers from across northwest England.
Witnesses described scenes “from a horror movie” as bloodied children ran from the attack just before noon Monday. The teenage suspect was arrested soon afterward on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. Police said he was born in Cardiff, Wales, and had lived for years in a village about 3 miles (5 kilometers) from Southport. He has not yet been charged.
Police said detectives are not treating Monday’s attack as terror-related and are not looking for any other suspects.
People posted online tributes and messages of support for teacher Leanne Lucas, the organizer of the event, who was one of those attacked.
“We believe the adults who were injured were bravely trying to protect the children who were being attacked,” Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said.
A group of Swift’s U.K. fans calling themselves “Swifties for Southport” launched an online fundraiser to help families of the victims. It raised over 100,000 pounds ($129,000) within 24 hours.
The rampage is the latest shocking attack in a country where a recent rise in knife crime has stoked anxieties and led to calls for the government to do more to clamp down on bladed weapons, which are by far the most commonly used instruments in U.K. homicides.
Witnesses described hearing screams and seeing children covered in blood emerging from the Hart Space, a community center that hosts everything from pregnancy workshops and meditation sessions to women’s boot camps.
The Swift-themed yoga and dance workshop was a summer vacation activity for children aged about 6 to 11.
“They were in the road, running from the nursery,” said Bare Varathan, who owns a shop nearby. “They had been stabbed, here, here, here, everywhere,” he said, indicating the neck, back and chest.
Richard Townes, a children’s entertainer from Southport, said parents in texting groups are terrified now to send their children to summer programs
“I have a 5-year-old daughter who could have just as easily been at the class,” Townes said. “I feel helpless and like I can’t do anything.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the attack “horrendous and deeply shocking.” King Charles III sent his “condolences, prayers and deepest sympathies” to those affected by the “utterly horrific incident.”
United Arab Emirates Dirham Exchange Rate
