Axel Rudakubana was referred to counter-extremism scheme three times

Axel Rudakubana was first referred to Prevent over concerns he was looking at material about US school massacres, and a fascination with violence. Photograph: Merseyside police/PA Media

The teenager who murdered three young girls at a dance class in Southport was referred three times to Prevent, the government’s scheme to stop terrorist violence, the Guardian has learned.

One of the referrals followed concerns about Axel Rudakubana’s potential interest in the killing of children in a school massacre, it is understood.