Overview
- Police say a 17-year-old from Cwmbran and a 16-year-old from Merseyside sought to emulate Axel Rudakubana’s Southport killings in separate alleged plots.
- The 17-year-old discussed copying the attack, researched large knives and mapped a nearby dance school in a phone note titled “places to attack,” and he later pleaded guilty to possessing a document useful for terrorism.
- Court records show the 17-year-old also looked at attacking his own school and the Oasis reunion concert in Cardiff, with sentencing set for January after psychiatric reports citing possible autism spectrum disorder.
- Prosecutors allege the 16-year-old travelled to Southport, collected knives, researched a Taylor Swift-themed event and downloaded the same al‑Qaeda manual linked to Rudakubana; he is charged with possessing documents useful for terrorism and making threats to kill and is due to enter pleas next month.
- Neither case includes a charge of preparing terrorist acts because the plans are not considered ideological under the Terrorism Act, as Prevent data show ‘no ideology’ referrals now exceed half of cases with only seven percent receiving intervention and the Southport inquiry begins a second phase on institutional capability.