A teenager has pleaded guilty on the first day day of his trial at Liverpool Crown Court to murdering three young girls in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport last July.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, of Banks, Lancashire, was charged with the murders of nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar, six-year-old Bebe King and seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, who died following the attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class at The Hart Space on 29 July.
He also pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of ten other people - eight children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes in the same incident.
Rudakubana was 17 at the time of the attack.
He pleaded guilty to having a kitchen knife in a public place.
He also admitted to the production of a biological toxin, ricin, and possession of a document likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, namely a PDF file titled Military Studies in the Jihad against Tyrants: The Al-Qaeda Training Manual.
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He is due to be sentenced on Thursday.
Rudakubana remained seated in the dock as he entered guilty pleas.
