Two children reportedly been killed and at least seven injured after a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed children’s workshop in Southport, Merseyside, northwest England, this morning.
Armed police officers detained the man and confiscated his cold weapon, the Daily Mail reported. Citizens were urged to avoid the area around Hart Street as a precaution, although “there is no longer a wider threat to the public”.
“We were told that someone stabbed the children. Everything is fenced off, police cars can be seen at every intersection. Parents are standing outside waiting,” said an employee at The Bridge Cafe on Hart Street.
An ambulance helicopter was also seen in the nearby parking lot, and people from the area were warned via a WhatsApp group to “lock all windows and doors”.
“We can confirm that emergency services have been called to Southport following a major incident which occurred at around 11.50am on Monday. We have more people with stab wounds, but we will know more details later,” the police reported.
“Nine other children have been injured, and six of them are in a critical condition, all those injured have suffered stab wounds sustained during the attack. Two adults are also in a critical condition after being injured during the incident.
“A 17-year-old male from Banks in Lancashire, who was born in Cardiff, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder and has been taken to a police station where he will be interviewed by detectives
“My officers were called to reports of a stabbing at 11.47am at an address Southport. When they arrived they were shocked to find that multiple people, many of whom were children, had been subjected to a ferocious attack and had suffered serious injuries.
“It is understood that the children were attending a Taylor Swift event at a dance school when the offender, who was armed with a knife, walked into the premises and started to attack those inside. We believe that the adults who were injured were trying to protect the children at the time they were attacked.
“As a mum of two daughters, and the nanna of a five-year-old granddaughter, I cannot begin to imagine the pain and suffering the families of the victims are currently going through and I want to send them our heartfelt condolences and sympathies, it was stated by the police.
