Teen charged in stabbing attack in English dance class remains silent…

LONDON (AP) — The teenager accused of killing three girls and wounding 10 other people in a stabbing attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class refused to speak as he appeared in court Wednesday to face charges new charges of possession of a deadly poison and an act of terrorism. charge related to possession of an Al-Qaeda manual.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, who appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court via video link from Belmarsh prison in south London, pulled the top of his gray tracksuit over his nose and would not confirm his name or respond to other questions.

“Mr. Rudakubana has also remained silent during previous hearings,” said lawyer Stan Reiz. “For his own reasons, he chose not to answer the question.”

Rudakubana, who is confronted accused of murdering three girls and stabbing 10 other people on July 29, was charged Tuesday with production of a biological toxin, ricin, and possession of information likely to be useful to someone committing or preparing to commit a terrorist act.

Merseyside Police said they found the poison and a document on his computer containing an al-Qaeda training manual entitled ‘Military studies in jihad against the tyrants’ when they searched his home after the July 29 rampage.

Ricin is derived from the castor plant and is one of the world’s deadliest toxins. There is no known vaccine or antidote and it kills cells by preventing them from making proteins.

Rudakubana was charged in August over the stabbings in the Southport community, which police insisted on Tuesday had not been classified as a “terrorist incident” because the motive was not yet known.

The murders took place in the first week of the summer holidays, when about 20 young girls danced to Swift’s music at Hart Space, a community center that hosted everything from pregnancy workshops to boot camps for women.

Rudakubana was charged with three counts of murder in the deaths of Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Bebe King, 6, in the seaside town of Southport in northwest England.

He has also been charged with 10 counts of attempted murder in the eight children and two adults who were seriously injured. Leanne Lucas, who led the class, and John Hayes, who worked at a nearby business and ran to help, were credited by police with their efforts to protect the children.

The stabbings have fueled far-right activists to stoke anger against immigrants and Muslims following social media incorrectly identified the suspect – then unnamed – as an asylum seeker who had recently arrived in Britain by boat.

Within hours of a community vigil to mourn the Southport victims, an unruly mob attacked a mosque near the dance studio, threw rocks and beer bottles at law enforcement officers and set fire to a police van.

The riots spread across England and Northern Ireland lasted a week. More than 1,200 people have been arrested over the disorder and hundreds have been jailed.

Rudakubana was born in Wales to Rwandan parents, police later said. British media reported that he was raised as a Christian.

The judge ordered that the new charges be transferred to Liverpool Crown Court, where prosecutors will ask for them to be merged with the murder and attempted murder charges. He will be heard in Liverpool on November 13.