Southport stabbings suspect Axel Rudakubana to appear in court today

The teenager, from Banks, in Lancashire, is due to appear at Liverpool Crown Court via video link at 2pm on Wednesday November 13 for a Plea and Trial Preparation Hearing.

He is accused of three counts of murder and 10 attempted murders following the stabbing attack on a Taylor Swift-themed children's holiday club class at Hart Street, Southport, on July 29, 2024.

He was additionally charged on October 29 with production of the biological toxin ricin and possessing terrorism information - in the form of an Al Qaeda manual - likely to be useful to a person preparing to commit an act of terrorism. Both items were discovered following searches of his home by police.

The prosecution is expected to apply for the murder, terrorism and biological weapon charges to be linked during the hearing at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday.

Last month, Rudakubana appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court via video link from HMP Belmarsh in relation to the terror charges. He sat holding his sweater over the bottom half of his face and did not respond when asked to confirm his name.

He had already been charged with the murder of Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, Bebe King, 6, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, who were fatally stabbed during the incident on Hart Street. He is also charged with the attempted murder of eight other children, instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes, as well as possession of a knife.

A search of his home in Banks unearthed the ricin and a PDF file entitled Military Studies In The Jihad Against The Tyrants, The Al Qaeda Training Manual.