Axel Rudakubana got tips from an illegal al-Qaeda training manual (Image: Handout)
As well as his murderous attacks, Rudakubana also admitted producing deadly biological weapon ricin and downloading ‘Military Studies in the Jihad against Tyrants: The Al-Qaeda Training Manual’.
Now Mersey-Cheshire Chief Crown Prosecutor Sarah Hammond has told us the twisted teen used techniques in the illegal terror manual to maximise the destruction and damage he caused to his knife victims.
The Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS) Ms Hammond explained: “Rudakubana carried out a careful, premeditated and highly planned knife attack upon multiple victims. He focused on young children intending to kill them.
“Three of those young girls were killed, and Rudakubana tried to kill 10 others. Eight children were included in those 10, and a number of them had significant stab wounds, including stab wounds to their back as they tried to escape from him.
Weapons found in Rudakubana’s bedroom (Image: Lakeman Nick James)
“After he was arrested, his home was searched and a number of weapons were found, and this included ricin – alongside that, he had carefully researched and bought the equipment that he needed to make that biological weapon in his bedroom.
“There was a detailed search of his digital devices, and further evidence was found showing a large number of very concerning and evil images and documents.
“They demonstrated he clearly had a fascination and a long standing obsession with significant violence, war, genocide and mass murder.
“One of the documents that was found on his digital devices was an academic paper that contained the text of an al Qaeda training manual.
“That gave him a clear idea of how to commit significant acts of violence, including with the use of knife and the poison ricin, which he’d made in his bedroom.
“He then took that research and that knowledge that he’d obtained, and he set out to put that into practice on the 29th of July.”
Explaining why they did not treat it as a terror attack she added: “There is no specific evidence that he was ascribed to any particular political, religious, racial ideology.
“His only purpose was to target those young girls and to kill the most vulnerable people in our society. He wanted to spread fear and outrage.”
Beaker found alongside other lab equipment in Rudakubana’s bedroom (Image: Lakeman Nick James)
Praising the victims’ and their families’ bravery she paid tribute to their “dignity and composure in the face of unbelievable horror.”
Stressing the horror the CPS, police and all emergency services felt over that shocking day she went on: “Many of the cases we deal with have tragedy, difficulties and trauma.
“But this case is one of the most harrowing that I, as a prosecutor of 26 years have ever come across.
“I’d like to thank Merseyside police for the way they’ve worked in partnership through us, with us throughout this investigation and prosecution.
“And I’d like to thank members of the CPS team who’ve had to read and watch significant, upsetting, distressing scenes of violence.
“Our thoughts are with all of those whose lives were altered by what happened on that day, and particularly the families of Elsie, Bebe and Alice – those three beautiful young girls who lost their lives that day.
“We hope the conclusion of this prosecution helps them on their difficult journey forward.”