False rumours claimed Southport stabbing suspect was a Muslim migrant

A stabbing attack in Southport, England last week that killed three young girls and wounded several children led to false rumours that the suspect was a Muslim migrant.

Soon after the attack, a false name, Ali Al-Shakati, of the alleged suspect circulating on social media. Hours later, violent right-wing protesters clashed with police outside a nearby mosque and spread across England.

Police say the name was fake, as were rumors that the 17-year-old suspect was an asylum-seeker who had recently arrived in Britain.

The suspect charged with murder and attempted murder was named as Axel Rudakubana, born in the UK to Rwandan parents.

A judge eventually ruled said the teen suspect could be identified but rumors already were rife and right-wing groups had pinned the blame on immigrants and Muslims.

One of the first outlets to report the false name was Channel 3 Now, an account on the X social media platform that purports to be a news channel.

A Facebook page of the same name says it is managed by people in Pakistan and the United States. The channel has issued a “since apology”.

Rumors swirled in over the initial relative silence of police over the attack. Merseyside Police issued a statement saying the reported name for the suspect was incorrect, but initially provided little information about him other than his age and birthplace of Cardiff, Wales.

Under UK law, suspects are not publicly named until they have been charged and those under 18 are usually not named at all.

A judge allowed Rudakubana to be named, in part, to correct the misinformation and claims by some activists that police were withholding information about the attacker.