Knife attack in Southport: Two children killed and nine injured at dance workshop

Two children died and nine were injured in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance.

Merseyside Police confirmed the deaths of two children following a stabbing at a property on Hart Street, Southport, at around 11.50am (BST).

Six of the nine injured children are in a “critical condition” after stab wounds, police said. Two adults are also in a critical condition.

Police said a 17-year-old from Banks in Lancashire, originally from Cardiff, was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.

Merseyside Police Commissioner Serena Kennedy told a press conference that they were called to reports of a stabbing at 11.47am (BST).

She said when officers arrived, they were “shocked” to find that several people, including many children, had been victims of a “brutal attack” and had suffered serious injuries.

“The children were allegedly attending a Taylor Swift event at a dance school when the perpetrator, armed with a knife, entered the premises and began attacking the children,” she said.

“We believe that the injured adults bravely tried to protect the children who were attacked.

“As a mother of two daughters and grandmother of a five-year-old granddaughter, I cannot begin to imagine the pain and suffering that the families of the victims are currently going through and would like to express our deepest condolences and sympathy to them.”

Ms Kennedy said Merseyside Police were not looking for anyone else in connection with the attack and while the “motive for the incident remains unclear”, it was not being treated as terrorist-related at this stage.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer expressed his condolences to the victims of the attack and their families and friends, saying: “The whole country is deeply shocked.”

He said: “Today’s events are just horrific and I know that the whole country is deeply shocked by what they have seen and heard.”

“I know I speak for everyone across the country when I say that our thoughts and condolences are with the victims, their families, their friends and the wider community. It is almost impossible to imagine the grief and trauma they are going through.

“I would like to thank the emergency services and Merseyside Police who had to respond today in the most difficult of circumstances.”

Eye on Southport journalist Tim Johnson said the incident occurred at the Hope of Hart children’s club, which is housed in a former warehouse on a side street.

He said a Taylor Swift-themed yoga and dance workshop for elementary school children aged six to 10 was taking place at the time of the attack. Organizers were contacted for comment but did not respond.

Mr Johnson said the injured were children and he saw a seriously injured girl on a stretcher.

“It was horrific. I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said. “There were so many police cars, just one flashing blue light. I saw paramedics crying. People on the streets were crying.”