Two children died and nine others were injured after a stabbing in Southport, north of Liverpool, this morning.
All nine injured children were stabbed and six are in critical condition.
Two adults are also in critical condition.
Merseyside Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said: “We believe the injured adults tried bravely to protect the children who were being attacked.”
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A 17-year-old boy from Banks, Lancashire, originally from Cardiff, Wales, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.
Police were called to reports of a knife attack at an address in Southport at 11.47am this morning.
Police Chief Kennedy said that when officers arrived they were “shocked to discover” that several children had been “subjected to a vicious attack and suffered serious injuries”.
She added: “It is understood that the children were attending a Taylor Swift event at a dance school when the attacker, armed with a knife, entered the venue and began attacking the children inside.”
The police chief said the suspect’s motive is unclear at this early stage, but the investigation is not being treated as terrorism-related.
Photo: PA
Sky News understands the stabbings took place at a community center called Hart Space, often used for mother and baby classes, on Hart Street in the Merseyside city.
A poster shows that a “Taylor Swift Yoga and Dance Workshop” aimed at children aged between two and six in primary school (7-11 years old) was taking place at the center at the time of the attack.
Specialist officers are supporting the families of children who were killed and injured, Chief Constable Kennedy said.
Merseyside Police declared a “serious incident” after the stabbings and armed police seized a knife after arresting the teenage suspect.
The force then asked the public to avoid the area – as one local businessman described the scene as a “horror film” and said “mums were screaming” afterwards.
The North West Ambulance Service said some of the victims were taken to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
Other victims were taken to Aintree University Hospital, as well as Southport and Formby Hospital.
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