By Lauren Kent, Jessie Gretener, Niamh Kennedy and Ivana Kottasová, CNN
London (CNN) — Two children have been killed and nine injured in a knife rampage targeting a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in a town in northern England on Monday, with a teenage suspect arrested over an attack one witness described as a “horror movie”.
Merseyside Police’s Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said six of the injured children are in critical condition and the attack also left two adults in critical condition.
Kennedy said that the police understands the attacker walked into the premises armed with a knife and started to attack the children.
Merseyside Police said it received reports of a stabbing in Southport, north of Liverpool. Emergency services were called to a “major incident” in the town at around 11:50 a.m. local time (6:50aET). A 17-year-old boy was arrested at the scene on “suspicion of murder and attempted murder.”
The police said earlier the incident was not treated as terror-related.
Local business owner Colin Parry was one of the people who called the police, said the incident in Southport was like a “scene in a horror movie,” according to PA Media.
Parry said he believed a number of young girls had been stabbed. “The mothers are coming here now and screaming. It is like a scene from a horror movie,” Parry said, adding that “police have got him.”
The businessman said he had directed police to an address in Hart Street behind the Hart Space studios, where one of the events listed at the time of the stabbings was a
Taylor Swift-themed yoga and dance class for children ages six to 11, according to its website.
“It’s like something from America, not like sunny Southport,” Parry said.
One resident, who lives in Hart Street but did not wish to be named, told PA Media that a woman pulled up outside his house in her car, screaming. He said: “She was screaming ‘my daughter’s been stabbed’.
The Alder Hey Children’s Hospital Trust in Liverpool, about 20 miles from Southport, declared a “major incident.”
“The Trust is working with other emergency services to respond to this incident and our Emergency Department is currently extremely busy,” the hospital said in a statement posted to its website. “We ask parents to only bring their children to the Emergency Department if it is urgent,” it said.
King and country shocked
King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla said they were “profoundly shocked” by the incident.
“My wife and I have been profoundly shocked to hear of the utterly horrific incident in Southport,” King Charles said in a statement shared on the Royal Family official social media channels on Monday.
The couple went on to send their “most heartfelt condolences” to the “families and loved ones of those who have so tragically lost their lives” and all those impacted by the incident.
The Prince and Princess of Wales also released a statement thanking the emergency responders and sending their “love, thoughts and prayers to all those involved in this horrid and heinous attack.”
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer also responded to the events, saying in a clip shared with broadcasters that the “whole country” has been left “deeply shocked at what they’ve seen” in Southport.
The British MP representing Southport, Patrick Hurley says he was “deeply concerned” about the “incident.”
“I am hoping for the best possible outcomes to the casualties affected. My thoughts go out to all those affected, their loved ones and to the entire community,” Hurley said on X.
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