Two ‘copycat’ teenagers have been arrested after trying to emulate Southport killer Axel Rudakubana in an alleged planned attack.
The boys, 16 and 17, cannot be named due to their age, but they allegedly planned to attack a dance school.
Neither teenager is facing terror charges, because prosecutors do not see attacks on schoolkids or misogynistic violence as ‘ideological’.
It comes just months after another teenager, from Cwmbran, South Wales, talked about copying Rudakubana in an attack.
He had a note detailing which areas he planned to ‘attack’. The teenager later pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in January.
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Rudakubana was just 17 when stabbed to death Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, at the Hart Space’s Taylor Swift-themed event on July 29 last year.
He also injured eight other children, who can not be named for legal reasons, and two adults, Leanne Lucas and Jonathan Hayes.
The horrific killings shocked the country and also led to several riots, fueled by misinformation that Rudakubana was a Muslim asylum seeker who had arrived on a small boat.
Earlier this year, Rudakubana used a kettle in his cell to heat water before attacking a prison officer at HMP Belmarsh.
Rudakubana will spend a minimum of 52 years in prison for his grisly attack in Southport in 2024.
He was also convicted of possessing a knife, producing the deadly poison ricin, and possessing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism.
A search of his house uncovered ricin as well as a PDF file titled Military Studies in the Jihad against Tyrants: The Al-Qaeda Training Manual, which he is said to have possessed since August 29, 2021.
What are copycat killings?
Copycat killings or crimes are normally modelled after other notorious crimes – such as murders, robberies and more.
In 2002, for instance, a teenage boy crashed a small plane into the side of a tower in Tampa, Florida, seeking to copy the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
More recently, an employee allegedly stabbed his boss during a staff meeting. Police are investigating it as a possible copycat attack of the UnitedHealthcare CEO’s killing in December 2024.
Mangione’s alleged writings detailed disdain for health insurance companies denying patient claims. That anti-corporate greed message has resulted in a sizable supporter base for Mangione – and possible copycat criminals.
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