Axel Rudakubana, 18, pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder on Monday, on the first day of his trial for carrying out a knife attack at a dance class last July in Southport, England, that left three children dead and 10 other people injured.
Mr. Rudakubana faced three charges of murder for the deaths of Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9, who were taking part in a Taylor Swift-themed dance and bracelet-making class during their summer break from school.
He had also been charged with the attempted murder of 10 people, including eight other children and two adults, and with possession of a knife for the attack on July 29.
After the stabbings, the police searched Mr. Rudakubana’s house and said they found ricin, a lethal toxin, and a PDF file titled “Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants: The Al Qaeda Training Manual.”
Mr. Rudakubana was subsequently charged with production of a biological toxin and with “possessing information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.”
On Monday, Mr. Rudakubana, who had initially pleaded not guilty, appeared in court and pleaded guilty to all of the charges put against him.
The authorities have not so far declared the episode an act of terrorism. Serena Kennedy, the chief constable of the Merseyside Police, which oversees policing in the region, said in a statement in October that “for a matter to be declared a terrorist incident, motivation would need to be established.” She added, “We would strongly advise caution against anyone speculating as to motivation in this case.”
The trial is taking place at Liverpool Crown Court and had initially been expected to last around four weeks, but there are now plans to sentence Mr. Rudakubana on Thursday.
Mr. Rudakubana was born in Cardiff, Wales, to parents who were originally from Rwanda. He was living in Banks, a village north of Southport, at the time of the attack.
Last week, Britain’s attorney general, Richard Hermer, issued an official advisory reminding social media users and journalists about the risks of contempt of court and warning that inaccurate or speculative commentary could influence the jury’s deliberations. Anything that asserts or assumes Mr. Rudakubana’s guilt could jeopardize the criminal trial, he warned.
After the Southport attack, Britain was convulsed by a series of violent riots, as disinformation about the attacker’s identity swirled on social media and messaging apps. False claims that the suspect was an undocumented immigrant or newly arrived asylum seeker were amplified by anti-immigration activists and members of the far right.
Several people, including a neo-Nazi, were later found to have helped coordinate outbreaks of unrest, which included attacks on mosques and hotels where asylum seekers were staying, and which led to dozens of police officers being injured.
Mr. Rudakubana was 17 at the time of the attack and, under English court rules, he would usually have retained his anonymity until he turned 18. But a few days after the attack, a judge took the unusual step of releasing his name in an attempt to combat the spread of misinformation.
Since the riots last summer, hundreds of people have been charged for their involvement in the violent disorder across the country, and dozens of people have been sentenced to prison time.
Yvette Cooper, Britain’s home secretary, said in a statement on Monday morning that the trial would be a “deeply traumatic and distressing time for the families of Alice, Bebe and Elsie, the survivors, and the people of Southport and the whole country.”
“The most important thing for all of us is to ensure that the legal process can take its course, to respect the difficult job the court has to do so there is a fair trial and justice can be done,” she added.
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