Southport suspect Axel Rudakubana refuses to speak in court over murder, ricin and terror charges
30 October 2024, 10:27 | Updated: 30 October 2024, 12:04
Southport stabbing suspect Axel Rudakubana has refused to speak as he appeared in court over murder, ricin and terror charges.
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18-year-old Rudakubana appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court via video link on Wednesday to face both charges, keeping his grey sweatshirt pulled up over his mouth and nose.
The teenager stands accused of the production of ricin and possession of an Al-Qaeda Training Manual.
The force confirmed the charges relate to the production of a biological toxin under section 1 of the Biological Weapons Act 1974 and possession of information - namely a PDF manual - likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism.
The short hearing saw the two new charges read out in addition to three charges of murder, 10 of attempted murder and the possession of a bladed article.
Appearing before a judge, Rudakubana, who can now be identified after a judge lifted reporting restrictions, refused to speak.
His case has now been sent to Liverpool Crown Court.
It comes as Tory leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick told Nick Ferrari at Breakfast on Wednesday that a lack of transparency surrounding the Southport stabbings could lead to "deep public mistrust in the criminal justice system".
The Conservative MP said: "What we do know is that Merseyside Police said at the time they would give regular updates, that was the statement they put out. No such updates have been forthcoming,"
"The concern here is by not being entirely frank with the public - which I think is the legitimate conclusion that many people would come to - that that is going to lead to precisely the outcome that the police, the authorities, or even possibly the Prime Minister were trying to avoid: deep public mistrust in the criminal justice system."
Read more: Southport stabbing suspect charged with creating ricin and possession of Al Qaeda training manual
It comes as the terror law watchdog said on Wednesday that the Government and police should be more open about criminal investigations in a bid to avoid an information gap being filled by social media, amid claims of a cover-up over the Southport attacks.
Jonathan Hall KC, the independent reviewer of terrorism laws, said the authorities should put all the information they can in the public domain.
His comments came as the Tory leadership contender suggested the State had been "lying" to the public about what was known about the alleged Southport attacker.
It was announced yesterday that Axel Rudakubana, the teenager accused of murdering three girls at a dance class in Southport, is facing additional charges of possessing ricin and an al Qaida document.
Speaking at the press conference on Tuesday following the two additional charges, Chief Constable Serena Kennedy of Merseyside Police told reporters that Rudakubana had been "charged with two further offences".
She said: "The two further offences relate to evidence obtained by Merseyside Police during searches of Axel Rudakubana's home address as part of a lengthy and complex investigation, which has been ongoing since July 29.
"The additional charges are the production of a biological toxin, namely ricin... and possession of information, namely a PDF file entitled Military Studies in the Jihad against the Tyrants, the Al-Qaeda Training Manual, likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism."
The spread of misinformation linked to the suspect following the knife attack, which took place at The Hart Space community centre in Southport, led to a series of riots across England in the weeks that followed.
More than 1,000 people have since been charged, with police vowing more rioters will be brought to justice.
Reporting restrictions preventing the teenager's identification were subsequently lifted by a judge at Liverpool Crown Court in the weeks following the attack.
Police continue to insist the attack was not terror related.
