Teen, 17, planned Southport-style terror attack on Oasis gig

A 17-year-old boy who praised Southport killer Axel Rudakubana planned to carry out an attack at Oasis’ first reunion gig, a court has been told. The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, also planned a Southport-style attack at a dance school near his home, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.

He allegedly researched how to obtain large knives and in messages with a friend, sent an image of one for sale online, saying: “Would this work?” The prosecution said the teenager, from near Cwmbran, South Wales, also told friends of a plan to attack the Oasis concert at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on July 4. The prosecution said the teenager had praised Rudakubana in discussions over Snapchat and said he wanted to take part in a similar terrorist-style attack.

One of the people he spoke to on Snapchat reported him to the police, reports The Times.

Rudakubana murdered Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9, Bebe King, 6, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and injured 10 others including eight children, in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed workshop on July 29 last year.

Rudakubana, who was 17 at the time, was jailed for a minimum of 52 years in January.

He pleaded guilty to the attacks and also admitted possession of a knife, production of a biological toxin, ricin, and possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism.

In the latest case, a note was found on the unnamed 17-year-old’s phone headed “places to attack”, according to The Times, including a dance school close to his home, with location data suggesting he had been near to it a few days prior.

The court also heard the teenager had researched his own school as a possible target too.

He had an appointment on June 2 with a counsellor after his family raised concerns and during which he said he planned to carry out a “Rudakubana-style attack”, the court heard.

The prosecution said there was no evidence the teenager held an ideology that would fit the legal definition of terrorism.

He was charged and admitted a single charge of possessing a document useful for terrorism.

The prosecution said the teenager’s Snapchat account used a misspelt version of Rudakubana’s name and that he had also researched Rudakubana, saving images of him with words mocking Southport victims.

One of the people on the platform reported him to police, according to The Times, and he was reported to the police a second time after praising Rudakubana in his appointment with a counsellor.

At about 10.30 that same day, he had researched knives and transferred an al-Qaeda training manual between phones.

The teenager appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on June 21. The case was committed to crown court for sentencing at a later date.