Two children were killed in a knife attack in northwest England, police said. Nine children were injured, six of whom are in critical condition. Two adults were seriously wounded, Reuters reports.
Police said they arrested a 17-year-old man, suspected of murder and attempted murder, and recovered a knife. The motive for the attack is not yet known, but for now it is not being treated as terrorism, and there are no other suspects.
Police officers were called to respond in Southport, a coastal city with about 100.000 inhabitants near Liverpool, it was announced. The attack happened during a dance and yoga workshop for children aged 6 to 11.
Local police chief Serena Kennedy said it is believed the adults were injured while trying to protect the children. She added that emergency services found "several persons, among them many children, who were the targets of a cruel attack and had serious injuries" on the spot.
The suspect, who has not been identified, lived in a village about 8 kilometers from the place of the attack, according to the police, reports AP.
British Prime Minister Kir Starmer called the incident "horrific and very shocking".
Colin Perry, the owner of a local shop who called the police, told the media that he believed several "girls" had been stabbed. Ber Varatan, the owner of a nearby shop, said he saw 7 to 10 bloodied children running from the building.
"They're stabbed here, here, everywhere," Varatan said, pointing to his neck, back and chest. "They were around 10 years old. One child was seriously injured".
Rajan Karni, who lives with his mother on the street where the attack took place, said that his mother saw the children being carried by emergency personnel "covered in blood" and saw that they had knife wounds on their backs.
The worst attack on children in Britain happened in 1996, when 43-year-old Thomas Hamilton killed 16 preschool children and their teacher in Scotland. Private ownership of almost all handguns was subsequently banned in Britain.
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