A teenager has appeared in court after police were alerted that he was planning a Southport-style knife attack on a dance school near his home.
The 17-year-old, who cannot be named because of his age, had talked of emulating Axel Rudakubana, who killed three girls aged six, seven and nine, during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in July last year.
The boy, who was living with his parents in a village near Cwmbran in South Wales, researched how to obtain large knives and, in a chat with a friend on April 19, sent an image of a large knife for sale online, saying: ‘Would this work?’
Police also found a note on his phone on April 28 headed ‘places to attack’. It included images of a dance school near his home, along with directions on how to walk there.
Location data suggested he had been close to the school just a few days earlier.
The teenager had also researched other potential targets, including his own school, and told others on Snapchat of his plan to attack the first Oasis reunion concert in Cardiff.
An earlier hearing was told the youth had participated in discussions on the social media app in which he praised Rudakubana.
In one chat he said he had tried to make ricin poison – the same substance manufactured by the Southport killer – although he later told police this was not true.
A general view of Westminster Magistrates’ Court – where the teenager appeared on June 21
The 17-year-old, who cannot be named because of his age, had talked of emulating Axel Rudakubana (pictured) who killed three girls during a dance class in July last year
The teenager had also researched other potential targets, including his own school, and told others on Snapchat of his plan to attack the first Oasis reunion concert in Cardiff (pictured)
One of those he was talking to on Snapchat reported him to police.
Following concerns by his family, the teenager met a counsellor on June 2 and revealed he planned to commit a ‘Rudakubana-style attack’, leading to a second report to police.
At around 10.30am the same day, he transferred an al-Qaeda manual between phones. During police interviews, he admitted he had thoughts of launching attacks on a regular basis but said he did not intend to carry them through.
The teenager appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on June 21, where he indicated a guilty plea to a single charge of possessing a document useful for terrorism. Sentencing was adjourned to a later date.