How false online claims about Southport knife attack spread so rapidly

Flowers and tributes were laid outside the Atkinson art centre in Southport, Merseyside, after three children were fatally stabbed at a holiday club. Photograph: James Speakman/PA

Speculation about the identity of the suspect behind the Southport stabbings, in which three children died, has been rampant on social media.

The home secretary, Yvette Cooper, has urged the public to avoid “unhelpful” speculation and has said social media companies “need to take some responsibility” for content related to the attack.