Authored by Thomas Brooke via Remix News,
New details emerging about the Southport terror attack have intensified scrutiny on U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, as revelations surfaced indicating the attacker was in possession of Al-Qaeda training materials and the lethal poison ricin.
The revelations have prompted urgent questions about what the government knew about the attacker and why this information was kept from the public at a time of palpable anger and civil unrest.
Axel Rudakubana, the 18-year-old son of Rwandan immigrants who is accused of stabbing to death three young girls attending a Taylor Swift-themed dance class on July 29, appeared via videolink at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday following two further terror-related charges.
On Tuesday, Merseyside Police confirmed that Rudakubana had been charged with production of a biological toxin, namely ricin, and for possessing “a PDF file entitled ‘Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants: The Al-Qaeda Training Manual.’
BREAKING: 🇬🇧 Reports that several children have been stabbed in Southport, England.
A nursery may have been targeted.
The victims were taken to three hospitals, including the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool.
“Armed police have detained a male and seized a knife. He… pic.twitter.com/GGWhdXBuD3
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) July 29, 2024
These charges are on top of the three charges of murder, 10 charges of attempted murder, and one charge of possession of a knife following the heinous attack in the northwest English town this summer.
The attack led to mass riots against asylum accommodation across England and a demand for a radical change in the government’s approach to mass immigration.
The government adopted an overzealous response to the protests, promising that those involved would face the full weight of the law. This led to many individuals, some of whom had not even been present at the riots but posted about them on social media, controversially being handed hefty jail sentences.
Now, the leadership candidates for the U.K.’s opposition Conservative Party are demanding the prime minister reveal what he knew about the Southport attacker and when.
Posters with the slogan ‘European Lives Matter’ are appearing in major cities across Europe.
They call for mass remigration and feature the faces of the three schoolgirls recently stabbed to death by the son of Rwandan immigrants in Southport, England. pic.twitter.com/CJjalpHZYh
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) August 4, 2024
“The BBC says the government learned about the new charges ‘in recent weeks.’ Can Keir Starmer please explain when he learned the attacker allegedly had an Al-Qaeda manual and biological weapon? The public deserve the truth,” Robert Jenrick wrote on social media.
He added that he is “seriously concerned facts may have been withheld from the public.”
His leadership rival, Kemi Badenoch added that there are “serious questions to be asked” of both the government and the police.
Many on social media attempted to dismiss suggestions that the slaughter of young girls by Rudakubana was an Islamist-related attack, noting that he his parents originated from Rwanda, a predominantly Christian country. However, the latest charges suggest his radicalization by Islamist terror cells.
Downing Street has refuted any accusations that senior politicians withheld information, insisting this is “not correct” and called for the media to remain focused on the victims of the attack.
“The most important thing is to get justice for Bebe, Alice, and Elsie and their heartbroken families, and all those affected by the attack, and nobody should put that at risk,” Home Secretary Yvette Cooper added.
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