Three children have died and five others remain in critical condition after a rogue attacker went on a deadly stabbing spree at a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga class in the UK.
The mass stabbing occurred at a dance and yoga workshop in Southport, near Liverpool in northwest England. Multiple media outlets have described it as one of the worst assaults on children the country has seen in decades.
Three young girls identified by Merseyside Police as six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar, tragically lost their lives in what can only be described as a senseless act of violence.
Eight other children suffered stab wounds and five are in critical condition, alongside two adults who were critically injured, police said.
"We believe the adults who were injured were bravely trying to protect the children who were being attacked," Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said.
Taylor Swift released a statement on Wednesday morning, writing on Instagram that she is "completely in shock" and still taking in "the horror" of what took place.
"The loss of life and innocence and the horrendous trauma inflicted on everyone who was there, the families, and first responders. These were just little kids at a dance class," she wrote on Instagram.
"I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families."
Authorities are questioning a 17-year-old suspect arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and working to understand the motivation behind the attack.
Constable Kennedy reported that the suspect entered the Southport community centre armed with a knife but provided no further details, only noting that the attack is not being treated as a terrorist incident.
Witnesses described hearing screams and seeing children covered in blood emerging from the Hart Space, a community centre that hosts everything from pregnancy workshops and meditation sessions to women's boot camps.
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