The identity of the 17-year-old arrested and charged with the murder of three girls and the attempted murder of eight children and two adults during a knife attack at a dance class in the British city of Southport was revealed today at a court in Liverpool: he is Axel Rudakubana, a dark-skinned British man.
Judge Endru Menari said that, despite the fact that the accused is not an adult, his name can be revealed because he will turn 18 next week.
The young man is accused of murdering Alisa Dasilva Agiar (9), Bebe King (6) and Elsie Dot Stancomb (7) when he attacked the audience and participants of a children's dance class on Monday.
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The police did not reveal the motive of the crime.
Fake news and speculation on social media that he was accused of murdering a Muslim and that he was an asylum seeker led to two days of rioting and clashes between police and protesters in Southampton and London.
One of the reasons for abandoning the request for the anonymity of the accused is the unrest throughout the country, said Judge Menari, adding that it is in the public interest that his name be published.
He ordered the detention of Rudakuban in juvenile detention and said that maintaining the anonymity of the accused would allow those "who are ready for riots to continue spreading misinformation."
The accused should turn 18 next Wednesday, which could be "an additional excuse for a new round of public disturbances," Menari said.
During the hearing, Rudakubana covered his face and refused to speak. He also refused to confirm his name.
He will next appear in court in Liverpool on October 25, with a tentative start date of the six-week trial set for January 20.
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