A 17-year-old in Wales has been accused of plotting a knife assault at Oasis’ first reunion concert this month.
Per The Times, the suspect was planning on launching an assault at Oasis’ July 4th live performance in Cardiff much like the Southport attacks in 2024, the place 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana went on a stabbing spree and killed three younger women at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.
{The teenager} (who’s unnamed on account of his age) reportedly advised a counsellor that he meant to hold out a “Rudakubana-style assault,” and allegedly knowledgeable his pals of the plot as nicely. Prosecutors claimed that he had looked for directions on procuring a big knife on-line, and allegedly despatched a photograph of 1 to a pal to ask “Would this work?” {The teenager} had additionally saved a word on his telephone with “locations to assault,” with the Oasis gig, a dance class, and his personal college among the many listed areas.
Associated Video
Past mentioning the will to imitate Southport assaults to his counsellor, {the teenager} had allegedly researched Rudakubana and saved photographs of him; he had additionally allegedly despatched Snapchats mocking the Southport victims, praising Rudakubana, and expressing the will to hold out an identical assault. Authorities discovered that he had downloaded the identical al-Qaeda coaching handbook that Rudakubana had.
{The teenager}’s actions had been first reported to the authorities by his dad and mom, which then led to his go to with a counsellor; in the meantime, somebody he was Snapchatting with had reported his feedback to the police, whereas a second police report was filed promptly after his counsellor go to.
Although there’s loads of proof in opposition to him, prosecutors are unable to convey any prices in opposition to him of planning to hold out a terrorist assault, because the Terrorism Act 2000 dictates that to be charged with terrorism, “the use or menace of violence have to be for the aim of advancing a political, spiritual, racial or ideological trigger.” The Instances additionally notes that planning assaults at faculties, misogynistic or incel-motivated assaults, or these motivated by nihilism will not be thought-about terrorist offenses, which means the suspect can’t be charged with getting ready an assault.
He was, nonetheless, charged with possessing a doc helpful for terrorism (the al-Queda coaching handbook). The suspect has admitted to those prices; Rudakubana had obtained an extra 18-month sentence for admitting to the identical cost in his trial. A sentencing date for the unnamed suspect has but to be introduced.
