3rd Child Is Dead in Dance Class Stabbing

A 9-year-old girl has died, bringing the death toll to three in Monday's "ferocious attack" on a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in northwest England. Five other children and two adults who reportedly tried to protect them remain in critical condition. Eleven children were stabbed in the attack, which happened 10 minutes before the class was set to wrap and has drawn condolences from King Charles, Queen Camilla, and Taylor Swift. The singer wrote in a story posted to Instagram, "These were just little kids at a dance class. I am at a complete loss for how to ever convey my sympathies to these families."

The Guardian reports police on Tuesday said the other children who died in Southport were both girls, ages six and seven. A 17-year-old from the nearby village of Banks has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder; his name cannot be shared under UK law. The BBC reports the suspect was born to parents from Rwanda. Police do not yet have a motive. A Southport lawmaker described the collective shock: "This is a lovely, quite quiet and sleepy town on the coast. This is a traditional seaside resort and this is not the sort of thing anyone is remotely prepared for."

NBC News recalls the UK's worst attack on children, which led to a wide-ranging gun ban: In 1996, a 43-year-old shot and killed 16 kindergarteners and their teacher in a school gym in Dunblane, Scotland. Recent stats show about 40% of homicides in Britain involved knives. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper voiced "deep concern" about knife crime, saying it is Prime Minister Keir Starmer's "moral mission" to do something about it. (More United Kingdom stories.)