Riot breaks out in UK after three girls die from knife attack at school

Tensions have flared in Southport, United Kingdom (UK), after a knife attack at a school left three children dead.

The attack happened during a Taylor Swift event at a dance school on Monday morning.

Police named the girls who died in the attack as Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine; Bebe King, six; and seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe.

In an update, police said eight other children suffered stab wounds with five and two adults in critical condition.

The 17-year-old suspect, who had a knife on him, was arrested at the scene shortly after the incident.

Police said in a statement that the motive behind the incident is unclear.

“This incident is not currently being treated as terror-related, and we are not looking for anyone else in connection with it,” the statement said.

Serena Kennedy, police chief, said the 17-year-old minor was arrested on “suspicion of murder and attempted murder”.

A large crowd gathered outside a mosque in Southport on Tuesday, throwing bottles and bricks at police vans.

Police vehicles were set alight while one officer suffered a suspected broken nose.

King Charles III said he was “profoundly shocked” by the “utterly horrific incident,” while UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the “whole country” was deeply shocked by the “truly awful” attack.

Knife crime is not rare in the UK, but mass stabbing incidents are uncommon.

In April, three people were injured in a stabbing incident at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, a school in Wales.