The suspect charged with fatally stabbing 3 little girls and injuring 10 others at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the UK has pleaded not guilty to all 16 charges against him.
18-year-old Axel Rudakubana stayed silent during his appearance in Liverpool Crown Court via video link from London’s Belmarsh prison Wednesday, where Justice Julian Goose directed the clerk to enter not guilty pleas across the board.
Rudakubana is charged with 3 counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder, and additional charges for allegedly possessing ricin and an Al-Qaeda manual related to the attack on July 29 this year.
The attack in Southport, UK, has not been officially classified as a terrorist attack because the motive is still unknown.
Rudakubana’s trial is scheduled for Jan. 20.
In addition to those wounded, Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Bebe King, 6, tragically lost their lives in the horrific rampage.
In an IG post after the attack, Taylor expressed she was “completely in shock,” adding, “These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families.”