Axel Rudakubana, the 18-year-old accused of being behind the fatal knife attack at a dance class in Southport, has had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf to charges of the murder of three children and 10 counts of attempted murder.
Rudakubana appeared at Liverpool crown court via video link from HMP Belmarsh, where he is being held . He did not speak during the hearing and pleas were entered for him.
Three girls – Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven – were killed at a Taylor Swift-themed class at the Hart Space community centre in Southport on 29 July during the first week of the summer holidays.
Rudakubana, then aged 17, was arrested shortly after the attack.
Rudakubana, who was born in Cardiff to Rwandan Christian parents, is also charged with 10 counts of attempted murder for alleged attacks on a further eight children and two adults. The other children injured in the attack cannot be named for legal reasons.
The defendant, who wore a grey tracksuit, did not speak when further charged with possession of a knife, production of biological toxin ricin and possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism.
Pleas of not guilty were entered to all 16 counts on the indictment.
At a press conference last month, Serena Kennedy, the chief constable of Merseyside police, said Rudakubana had also been charged with producing a toxin, ricin, and possessing material likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, a pdf of an al-Qaida training manual.
“At this time, counter terrorism policing has not declared the attack on Monday 29 July a terrorist incident,” Kennedy said then.
Rudakubana is due to stand trial in January at Liverpool crown court.
