The suspect accused of murdering three schoolgirls in the Southport stabbing attack has appeared in court on new charges of possessing terrorist material and producing the toxic poison ricin.
Axel Muganwa Rudakubana, 18, has already been charged with the murder of Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stance and Alice da Silva Aguiar at a Taylor Swift themed dance class in July, and the attempted murder of eight other children, yoga instructor Leanne Lucas and businessman John Hayes.
The additional charges are not related to the attack but a PDF file entitled ‘Military Studies In The Jihad Against The Tyrants’, The Al Qaeda Training Manual, which was found in his home in Lancashire following a police search.
On Wednesday, the 18-year-old appeared by video link at Westminster Magistrates’ Court charged with possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism, and for producing the deadly poison ricin, also found in his home.
He appeared via videolink from HMP Belmarsh and sat holding his sweater over the bottom half of his face.
Rudakubana did not respond when asked to confirm his name, and a security officer with him at the prison told the court he had chosen not to speak.
Stan Reiz KC, defending, said: “Mr Rudakubana has remained silent at previous hearings as well.
“For reasons of his own he has chosen not to answer the question.”
The latest charges have sparked accusations of a “cover up” from the Conservatives, with Tory leadership candidate Robert Jenrick accusing the Government of witholding information from the public.
“Keir Starmer must urgently explain to the country what he knew about the Southport attack and when he learned it,” Mr Jenrick said.
Downing Street said that the Government had not been involved in deciding the timing of the latest charging announcement and that it was a decision for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said that it was “certainly not the case” that police were witholding information from the public.
She said: “Searches of Axel Rudakubana’s home address resulted in an unknown substance being found. Testing confirmed the substance as ricin.
“We have worked extensively with partners to establish that there was a low to very low risk to the public and I want to make that reassurance clear today.
“I can also tell you that there was no ricin present at Hart Street.”
This is a breaking story and will be updated soon.