The trial began on Monday of Axel Rudakubana, 18, who is accused of attacking a dance class with a knife last July in the English city of Southport, which left three children dead and 10 other people injured.
Mr. Rudakubana faces three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9, who were participating in Taylor Swift’s summer bracelet-making dance class. take a break from school.
He is also charged with attempted murder of 10 people, including eight other children and two adults, and possession of a knife during the July 29 attack.
After the stabbing, the police searched the house of Mr. Rudakubana claims to have found ricin, a deadly poison, and a PDF file titled “Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants: The Al Qaeda Training Manual.” Mr. Rudakubana was then charged with producing biological toxins and “having information of a kind that may be useful to a person who commits or prepares a terrorist act.”
However, the authorities have not declared this episode as an act of terrorism so far. Serena Kennedy, Merseyside’s chief constable, who oversees policing in the region, said in a statement in October that “in order to declare a case as a terrorist incident, an incentive has to be established.” He added: “We would strongly advise against anyone who speculates on the motivation of this case.”
Not guilty pleas were entered on behalf of Mr. Rudakubana on all charges. At all legal proceedings so far, he has refused to speak.
The trial will take place at Liverpool Crown Court and is expected to last four weeks.
Mr. Rudakubana was born in Cardiff, Wales, to parents of Rwandan origin. He was living in Banks, a village north of Southport, when he was attacked.
Last week, Britain’s attorney general, Richard Hermer, issued an official advisory reminding social media users and journalists of the dangers of contempt of court and warned that inaccurate or speculative comments could influence jury deliberations. Anything that asserts or takes the blame of Mr. Rudakubana could jeopardize the trial, he warned.
After the Southport attack, Britain was rocked by a series of violent riots, as misinformation about the attacker’s identity spread on social media and messaging apps. False claims that the suspect is an undocumented immigrant or a recent asylum seeker are being promoted by anti-immigration activists and members of the far right.
Several people, including a neo-Nazi, were later found to have helped coordinate the outbreak of violence, which included attacks on mosques and hotels where asylum seekers were staying, and which resulted in dozens of police injuries.
Mr. Rudakubana was 17-years-old at the time of the attack and, under English court rules, his name would normally not be revealed until he was 18. trying to combat the spread of false information.
Since the riots broke out last summer, hundreds of people have been charged for their involvement in the violence across the country, and scores of people have been sentenced to prison.
Yvette Cooper, Britain’s home secretary, said in a statement on Monday morning that the case would be “a very sad and distressing time for the families of Alice, Bebe and Elsie, the survivors, and the people of Southport and the whole country.”
“The most important thing for all of us is to ensure that the legal process can take its place, to respect the difficult work that must be done by the court so that there is a fair trial and justice is done,” he added.
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