The U.K. faced yet another knife attack on Monday.
According to the U.K. Independent, a 17-year-old boy wielding a knife attacked a children’s dance class in Southport, England, injuring eight — some of whom were children.
According to the BBC, two adults who were attacked are in critical condition. Reports also indicate one individual may have been killed.
The dance class was a Taylor Swift-themed yoga and dance workshop for young children, the BBC reported.
The local police later revealed on X that the attack was not being regarded as “terror-related.”
UPDATE: A 17-year-old male from #Banks, who was arrested in connection to the stabbing in #Southport today, remains in custody and will be questioned. We can also confirm that the incident is not currently being treated as terror-related. More here: https://t.co/65zkKwWKq2 pic.twitter.com/3Pj8SX8BFd
— Merseyside Police (@MerseyPolice) July 29, 2024
Local witnesses described the attack in gruesome detail.
Speaking with the BBC, one business owner claimed the attack looked like a “scene in a horror movie.”
“It was horrendous. I’ve never seen anything like it,” a local journalist told the BBC.
The journalist added: “There were so many police cars, it was a mass of blue lights. I saw ambulance men and women in tears. People were in tears in the streets.”
The local Southport community reportedly gathered together in response to the attack.
“The community was coming together, everyone was trying to help. Everyone was trying to save the young kids,” one business owner told the BBC.
Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell made a statement later that day regarding the incident.
“To hear that innocent, defenceless children have been attacked during a Taylor Swift event at a dance school as they enjoyed the start of the school summer holidays is unthinkable and absolutely abhorrent,” she said according to the BBC.
Spurrell further noted: “These young people had their whole lives ahead of them and it is hard to find the words to convey our deep sadness.”
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The Associated Press reported in May that knife attacks have been on the rise in the U.K. this year.
As noted by the outlet, due to the country’s gun ban, knives are often the preferred weapon of choice of criminals.
According to the U.K. government, in 2023, “knife-enabled” crime in England and Wales rose 7 percent.
In London, they had risen a staggering 20 percent.
