Brutal knife attack in Southport leaves community in shock
7:38 AM EDT, July 31, 2024
Great Britain is reeling from the brutal assault on a group of children in Southport. More information is emerging about the 17-year-old perpetrator, who neighbors describe as a loner. He had previously trained in karate.
On Monday, July 29, the community center in Southport hosted artistic and physical activities for children aged 6 to 11. The event was dedicated to Taylor Swift.
Three children died, and eight were injured. Five of them are in critical condition. Teachers who tried to protect the children are also fighting for their lives, all sustaining stab wounds.
More details are emerging about the case. According to "The Sun," the perpetrator is a 17-year-old from Cardiff, Wales. In 2006, his parents moved to Great Britain from Rwanda. Both are currently 40 years old.
A neighbor living near him in the farming village of Banks in Lancashire described him as an introvert who was attached to his mother - reports the newspaper.
The family moved to Banks 11 years ago when the perpetrator was 7 years old. In Cardiff, they lived in a modern housing estate. Neighbors also describe the parents. The father is hard-working, while the mother is a homemaker. Both are likely Christians.
Shock in England. The perpetrator trained in karate, attended the parish hall
"In all the time I have lived here, I never spoke to the boy. Never saw him alone"; "I think I saw him maybe two or three times"; "They just seemed like a normal family" - The Sun quotes the family's neighbors.
While still in Wales, the 17-year-old trained in karate with his father. However, they supposedly argued when the son failed the test for a black belt. He attended classes with 79-year-old Sensei Mbakwe at St. Cadoc's parish hall in Llanrumney. - "He was a good, normal child with lots of energy. His father is also nice and normal," the clergyman assured.
The 17-year-old has a brother who is studying at a university in the Midlands. - "They are different. The younger one was quiet, an introvert. His older brother was more boisterous," says another neighbor.
The police have not disclosed the attacker’s motives. He has been arrested for murder and attempted murder. Following the attack, there were clashes with the police in the city. People are fed up with crimes committed by illegal immigrants. Residents of Southport gather outside the community center to pay tribute to the deceased and injured children.
