By Michael Holden
LONDON (Reuters) -A teenager accused of murdering three young girls in a knife attack in northern England in July has been further charged with a terrorism offence and the production of deadly poison ricin, police and prosecutors said on Tuesday.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, is accused of killing the three young girls aged between six and nine at a Taylor Swift dance event in Southport, murders which shocked the nation and provoked days of rioting across the country.
Police said the incident was still not being treated as terrorist related but said after searches of his home, Rudakubana had now been charged with two further offences: production of a deadly biological toxin, ricin, and the possession of an al Qaeda training manual.
“We have worked extensively with partners to establish that there was a low to very low risk to the public – and I want to make that reassurance clear today,” said Merseyside Chief Constable Serena Kennedy.
She said no ricin was discovered at the scene of the Southport stabbings.
Large disturbances broke out in the town after information was spread on social media that the suspected killer was a radical Islamist migrant, and the disturbances spread across the country with attacks on hotels housing asylum seekers and mosques.
At the time, police sought to quash the rumours which caused the trouble to erupt, saying the suspect had been born in Britain and there was no terrorism link.
“You may have seen speculation online that the police are deciding to keep things from the public. This is certainly not the case,” Kennedy said.
“I recognise that the new charges may lead to speculation. The matter for which Axel Rudakubana has been charged with under the Terrorism Act does not require motive to be established. For a matter to be declared a terrorist incident, motivation would need to be established.”
Rudakubana appeared in court in August after he was charged but has not yet entered a plea to three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder.
(Reporting by Muvija M and Michael Holden, editing by William James and Kate Holton)
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