Sir Keir Starmer today admitted the state has 'failed in its ultimate duty' to protect the victims of Southport killer Axel Rudakubana, as it emerged he was on the radar of counter-extremism officials.
The Prime Minister has lashed out at the crimes committed by the 'vile and sick' teenager, who today pleaded guilty to slaughtering three young girls in Merseyside in July.
And he vowed to investigate what happened, saying: 'Britain will rightly demand answers. And in that pursuit, we will leave no stone unturned.”
The Mail has learned that authorities were aware of his disturbing interest in a school massacre as early as 2019.
In 2019, he was referred to the government's Prevent deradicalisation program for researching information about the killings of children in school shootings on a school computer.
The Guardian reported that he was also referred twice in 2021 after viewing material about the 2017 London terror attack.
But experts believed there was no counter-terrorism risk at the time because he was not believed to be motivated by a terrorist ideology.
However, Downing Street today rejected claims that a 'massive cover-up' had taken place ahead of the trial, amid allegations from Nigel Farage.
The prime minister's spokesman told reporters it was important not to damage the trial, adding: “It is clear that if the trial had failed and the attacker had walked free, no one would have forgiven.”
The Prime Minister has lashed out at the crimes committed by the 'vile and sick' teenager, who today pleaded guilty to slaughtering three young girls in Merseyside in July.
The Reform leader lashed out at Sir Keir Starmer and the police, saying the public was being 'denied the truth' about Axel Rudakubana's motives and background
Authorities may have missed several attempts to stop Rudakubana before he murdered three children and tried to murder eight other youths and two adults in Blackpool last summer, when he was just 17 years old.
Clacton MP Farage, who is in Washington for Donald Trump's inauguration, said his party would demand Home Secretary Yvette Cooper explain to MPs why his links to terror were not revealed earlier.
'I asked that question 24 hours after the murders. I said, why aren't we being told the truth? Was this man known to the authorities? We were faced with a complete wall of silence,” the reform leader said.
'The Prime Minister and the Home Secretary refused to get involved, Liverpool Police refused to get involved.
“There was nothing in what I asked that would in any way have threatened contempt of court. This is basic background information that the public was entitled to.
“I was accused by mainstream media publications and senior politicians of inciting and encouraging the riots, when in reality the riots occurred because of the vacuum of information and crazy conspiracy theories gaining traction online.”
He added: 'I think the government is responsible for the most astonishing cover-ups. I think we need an apology from the Home Secretary and an explanation as to why we have been denied the basic truth.”
Asked whether he would raise this in the House of Commons, Mr Farage said: 'We as a party will be asking an urgent question about this. Absolute.'
His guilty plea is likely to increase pressure on Prevent to explain how he slipped through the cracks, committed a horrific crime and sparked a summer of violent, often racist unrest in the UK, fueled by online conspiracy theories.
His guilty plea today is likely to increase pressure on Prevent to explain how he slipped through the cracks, committed a horrific crime and caused a summer of violent and often racist unrest in the UK, fueled by online conspiracy theories.
Within hours of his attack, reports spread online claiming the suspect was a 17-year-old asylum seeker who had come to the country by boat last year.
But Rudakubana was born in Cardiff to Rwandan parents and moved with his family to the Lancashire village of Banks about a decade ago.
At the first press conference after the event, at 6.30pm that day, Merseyside Police Commissioner Serena Kennedy told journalists that the suspect was originally from Cardiff.
But the police statement did little to quell the misinformation spreading online.
Police do not reveal the names of suspects before charging them and Rudakubana – another young man aged 17 – is said to remain anonymous even after being charged because of his age.
A crowd gathered outside the Southport Mosque – which has no known links to Rudakubana – for a planned protest on the evening of July 30.
Cries of 'English till I die' were heard and stones broken from garden walls were used as missiles.
Police officers initially appeared unprepared for the violence, without riot helmets or shields.
The following week, as the first prison sentences were handed out to those involved, Recorder of Liverpool Andrew Menary KC described a 'mob' using the 'vilest and most racist abuse', including smashing windows, throwing stones and police van was set on fire.
He said: 'This was large-scale and very violent criminal activity, made much worse by the fact that it occurred just a day after very different and extremely tragic events.
“The genuine and collective grief of the people of Southport was hijacked by this callous behaviour.”
Ms Kennedy said 93 officers were injured, with injuries including broken legs, knocked out teeth and a broken jaw.
The clean-up of Southport began on Wednesday morning, but by the evening the violence had spread further – with demonstrations in London, Hartlepool in County Durham and Aldershot in Hampshire.
The following week, when Rudakubana was charged, appeared in court and officially appointed, violent protests continued across the country.
Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, died after the attack on the Taylor Swift-themed classroom at The Hart Space in a small business park in the seaside town shortly before midday on July 29 .
The government announced emergency security for mosques and Sir Keir Starmer promised those involved would 'face the full force of the law'
Musk, a close ally of Donald Trump (pictured together last night), branded the Prime Minister as #TwoTierKeir, referring to claims or accusations of 'two tier policing' in Britain, complaining of harsh punishments meted out to those who were involved in the disorder that was fomented by far -Right villains
Rioters smashed the windows of hotels in Rotherham and Tamworth and set fire to a library in Liverpool.
The government announced emergency security for mosques and Sir Keir promised those involved would 'face the full force of the law'.
Prison sentences were handed out the following week, and by mid-December more than 360 people were in prison for their part in the unrest across the country.
But that sparked outrage from Elon Musk and other far-right figures. Musk, a close ally of Donald Trump, branded the Prime Minister as #TwoTierKeir, referring to claims or accusations of 'two tier policing' in Britain, complaining of harsh punishments imposed on those involved in the disorder that was fueled by far-right criminals.
On August 8, there were rumors online of 100 planned protests, with gatherings expected in 41 of the 43 police areas in England and Wales.
Shops closed their windows to prevent windows from being smashed.
But in most places, only peaceful anti-racism demonstrators gathered and fears of further violent disorder were quelled.
Neighbors around the family home in Lancashire described the family as unremarkable, but it can now be reported that teachers were concerned about his behaviour.
The teenager, who has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, is believed to have left Range High School in Formby around 2019 before moving to a specialist school.
Teachers at the specialist school were concerned about his violence towards others, it is understood.
Rudakubana, from Banks, Lancashire, was due to stand trial at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday charged with 16 offences, including three murders.
Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, died shortly before midday on July 29 after the attack on the Taylor Swift-themed classroom at The Hart Space in a small business park in the seaside town.
The defendant admitted their murders, as well as the attempted murders of eight other children, who cannot be named for legal reasons, class instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.
Rudakubana, born in Cardiff, also admitted on or before July 29 the production of a biological toxin, ricin, and possession of information likely to be useful to someone committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism.
The terrorism offense relates to a PDF file entitled Military Studies In The Jihad Against The Tyrants, The Al Qaeda Training Manual, which he is said to have had in his possession between August 29, 2021 and July 30, 2024.
The ricin, a deadly poison, and the document were found during searches of the home in Old School Close that he shared with his parents, who are originally from Rwanda.
