A teenager accused of murdering three young girls in a stabbing attack in northern England has been charged with a terror offence and the production of a deadly poison.
Axel Rudakubana was charged with three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and once charge of possession of a knife over the July 29 attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.
Police and the crown prosecution announced on Tuesday, local time, that the 18-year-old has been further charged following searches of his home in Banks, Lancashire.
Officers discovered a substance which was found to be ricin, a lethal biological toxin found in castor beans.
They also found a computer file of an Al-Qaeda training manual titled "Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants".
He has been charged with the production of a biological toxin, contrary to Section One of the Biological Weapons Act 1974, and possessing the manual under Section 58 of the Terrorism Act.
However, police say the incident was still not being treated as terrorist-related as the motive is not yet known.
"We have worked extensively with partners to establish that there was a low to very low risk to the public – and I want to make that reassurance clear today," said Merseyside Chief Constable Serena Kennedy.
She pleaded for members of the public not to engage in rumour or speculation.
"We would strongly advise caution against anyone speculating as to motivation in this case."
She said no ricin was found at the scene of the stabbing.
Mr Rudakubana will appear at London's Westminster Magistrates Court on Wednesday over the two new offences.
A provisional trial date for the murders has been scheduled for January.
Far-right riots erupted across the country
In the wake of the incident, far-right riots broke out across the country after misinformation spread on social media that the suspected killer was an asylum seeker who had recently arrived in Britain by boat.
Within hours of a community vigil to mourn the Southport victims, an unruly mob attacked a mosque near the dance studio and tossed bricks and beer bottles at law enforcement officers and set fire to a police van.
Police said 53 officers were hurt, with eight treated in hospital for serious injuries including fractures and head wounds.
The riots spread across England and Northern Ireland that lasted a week.
The parents of one of three girls murdered called for an end to the nationwide rioting.
At Alice da Silva Aguiar's funeral, Chief Constable Kennedy told the congregation that her grieving Portuguese parents, Sergio and Alexandra, had asked her to deliver a public appeal for calm.
"You have shown great courage in asking me to be here today … to give a message from you, Alice's family, to say that you do not want there to be any more violence on the streets of the United Kingdom in the name of your daughter," she said.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer blamed "far-right thugs" and "marauding gangs" for the disorder.
More than 1,000 arrests have since been made and hundreds charged and jailed.
Mr Rudakubana, who was born to Rwandan parents in Wales, was 17 at the time of the incident.
What is ricin?
Ricin is derived from the castor bean plant and is one of the world's deadliest toxins.
It is estimated to be 6,000 times more poisonous than cyanide and can be fatal when inhaled, ingested, injected or swallowed.
Roughly the weight of a grain of salt is enough to kill an adult.
UK Health Security Agency doctor Renu Bindra said that "there was no evidence that any victims, responders or members of the public were exposed to ricin either as part of the incident or afterwards".
Ricin has no known vaccine or antidote.
