Latest news on Southport stabbing: Police report third child after stabbing at Southport dance class

Unconfirmed rumors about the attack are circulating on the Internetpublished at 12:17

12:17

By Shayan Sardarizadeh

Almost immediately after the fatal knife attack in Southport, unfounded rumors began to spread on the Internet.

While police and emergency services were still responding to the attack, a widely shared LinkedIn post claimed, without evidence, that “a migrant” was responsible for the attack.

However, the most widespread source of rumors so far has been a report on an obscure US website that claims to report “breaking news.”

The report falsely claims that the 17-year-old suspect is an “asylum seeker” named “Ali Al-Shakati” who “arrived in the UK by boat last year”.

Merseyside Police have confirmed the suspect was born in Cardiff; the 17-year-old has yet to be identified.

The report also adds that the suspect is “on MI6’s watch list”, although MI5, not MI6, deals with domestic counter-terrorism cases.

The name “Ali Al-Shakati” has since been shared in numerous online posts and seen by millions of people.

Some other media outlets, including Russian news channel RT, have also mentioned this name, citing the US website.

Other versions of the report, including the claim that the suspect was a “Channel migrant,” were also widely circulated.