Two children were killed and nine others injured in what police described as a "ferocious attack" in northwest England on Monday. Six of the injured children are in critical condition after the attack in Southport, north of Liverpool, the Telegraph reports. Two adults who tried to protect the children were also injured and are in critical condition. "It is understood that the children were attending a Taylor Swift event at a dance school when the offender armed with a knife walked into the premises and started to attack the children," Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said, per the BBC.
"We believe that the adults who were injured were bravely trying to protect the children who were being attacked," Kennedy said. Police said a 17-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. The attack is not being treated as terror-related, police said. The dance workshop was held for children 6 to 11 years old on the first week of school vacation, the AP reports. An ad for the event promised " a morning of Taylor Swift-themed yoga, dance, and bracelet making."
Witnesses said they heard screaming and saw bleeding children in the street, the New York Times reports. A witness who works near the scene tells the BBC that neighbors took around 10 girls to safety in their homes. Colin Parry says the scene was "like a scene from a horror movie." Journalist Tim Johnson of Eye on Southport says he saw an injured girl being carried away on a stretcher. "Her parents were running after her. It was horrendous. I've never seen anything like it," he says, per the BBC. In a statement, King Charles III condemned the "utterly horrific incident." (This story has been updated with new developments.)
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