Southport attack ‘should have been prevented’, inquiry finds

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Axel Rudakubana carried out the Southport attack after a “merry-go-round referral system” failed to address early warning signs. This is the conclusion of an inquiry into the stabbing, which has released its first report. Rudakubana killed three girls and injured ten other people at a Taylor Swift dance party in 2024. A high court judge said Rudakubana’s potential to commit violence was “clearly, repeatedly and unambiguously signposted”, but important information was “repeatedly lost, diluted or poorly managed” when transferred between agencies. This includes an incident in 2022 when Rudakubana was found with a knife on a bus and told police he wanted to stab someone. Health services attributed his behaviour to his autism and counter-terror officials failed to properly investigate extremist content viewed by Rudakubana online. In the inquiry’s words, the attack “could and should have been prevented”.