Understanding the Roots of Violence: The Reckoning After a Tragic Stabbing Incident in the UK

Sat Nov 22 2025 12:58:02 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The case of a teen responsible for a violent attack raises questions about counterterrorism strategies and the influence of online content.

Axel Rudakubana, an 18-year-old, committed a tragic stabbing spree resulting in the deaths of three girls, highlighting failures in addressing youth violence disconnected from extremist ideologies.

On October 4, 2019, a 13-year-old boy named Axel Rudakubana made a concerning call to a child welfare hotline in Banks, northwestern England. During the call, he inquired, “What should I do if I want to kill somebody?” He explained that he had been bringing a knife to school due to bullying, indicating his escalating violent thoughts. Although this was just the first of many red flags about his violent tendencies, the system failed to act decisively.

Fast forward to July 29, 2024, Rudakubana, now 18, unleashed one of Britain’s most horrifying attacks, killing three young girls during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport. He also attempted to harm several others, including two adults who bravely intervened. The aftermath of this incident has ignited a national conversation about how he managed to evade multiple safety nets, including the counterterrorism program known as Prevent, which he had been referred to on three separate occasions.

Sentencing Rudakubana to life in prison last week offered slight closure to the devastated community, yet it opened a floodgate of questions about youth violence and the nature of threats faced by society today. How could a teenager obsessed with violence and lacking a clear ideology circumvent existing preventive measures? Is there a need to reevaluate how laws, originally designed post-9/11 for extremist threats, apply to these new, concerning manifestations of violence fueled by graphic content readily available online?

In police interrogations, Rudakubana offered no motive for his brutal actions, complicating the perception of his case in public discourse. Additionally, misinformation surrounding the incident led to riots, based on erroneous claims that the attack was an Islamist terrorist act linked to recent undocumented migrants. Premier Keir Starmer has insisted that national security frameworks must adapt to this evolving landscape of “poisonous online extremism,” stressing the importance of recognizing and addressing new threats far removed from traditional terrorism ideologies.