Mass Stabbing at Taylor Swift-Themed Event in England Leaves 2 Children Dead, 9 Injured

A 17-year-old man was arrested on Monday (July 29) in connection to a devastating mass stabbing in northwest England that left two children dead and nine other people injured.

The event was a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga event for children aged about 6 to 11 in Southport, an English seaside town with about 100,000 residents. Officers were called around noon with reports of the deadly attack, and have since confirmed that there is no continued threat to the public.

Merseyside Police’s Chief Constable Serena Kennedy shared a statement following the incident. “It is with great sadness that today I am here to advise that two young children have died as a result of injuries sustained in a knife attack this morning,” Kennedy wrote. “Nine other children have been injured, and six of them are in a critical condition, all those injured have suffered stab wounds sustained during the attack. Two adults are also in a critical condition after being injured during the incident.”

The statement continued that the 17-year-old male is currently in custody for police interrogation and that he was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. “It is understood that the children were attending a Taylor Swift event at a dance school when the offender, who was armed with a knife, walked into the premises and started to attack those inside. We believe that the adults who were injured were trying to protect the children at the time they were attacked,” Kennedy’s statement continued. “As a mum of two daughters, and the nanna of a five-year-old granddaughter, I cannot begin to imagine the pain and suffering the families of the victims are currently going through and I want to send them our heartfelt condolences and sympathies.”

The U.K.’s worst attack on children occurred in 1996 in Dunblane, Scotland, per ABC News, when a 43-year-old man shot 16 kindergarteners and their teacher dead in a school gymnasium. The U.K. then banned the private ownership of most handguns.