Claim: A 17-year-old asylum seeker who came to the UK by boat in 2023 was responsible for the mass stabbing that left 3 young girls dead in Southport.
Fact: The prime suspect is not an asylum seeker and was born in Cardiff, Wales.
On 29 July 2024, social media was abuzz with widespread misinformation about the prime suspect in a recent attack in the seaside town of Southport. X user @Xcellent78 shared a post (archived) on X with the caption, “Southport Stabbings suspect, Ali-Al-Shakati, was on MI6 watch list and was known to Liverpool mental health services. He was an asylum seeker who came to UK by boat last year”.
The claim seems to have emerged from an article (archived) posted by a website called Channel 3 Now. This article initially mentioned that the suspect “was an asylum seeker who came to the UK by boat last year.
However, the Channel 3 Now article has now been updated to remove in-text references to “Ali Al-Shakati”, and the latest version claims that the suspect was born in Cardiff.
Another X user @Artemisfornow was among the first few people to have shared the name Ali Al-Shakati claiming that the “[He] was on MI6 watch list and was known to Liverpool mental health services. He was an asylum seeker who came to UK by boat last year. The post has since been deleted but it can be viewed here (archived).
Another user shared a screenshot of the Channel 3 Now article on X (archived) with the caption, “Beyond tragic what has happened to those innocent children in Southport. 💔
Merseyside police say ‘originally from Cardiff’……does that mean originally put up in asylum accomodation in Cardiff when he arrived on a boat in the UK last year?
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH”.
In a misdirected expression of anger, one X user said, “Call me racist if you want but enough is enough, stop the fucking boats !!!!! Another attack carried out by another illegal, when is enough enough !!!! #southport”. The post is archived here.
Another user shared a photo of the victims along with a video of the riots that ensued during the vigil for the victims in Southport on X with the caption, “Three Young Girls were stabbed to death Reportedly by a Migrant in Southport, UK
Riots ensued as British Citizens are fed up With all the Migrant Violence…
America, please pay attention.”
The archived post can be seen here.
What happened in Southport?
According to the BBC, three young girls were killed in a brutal knife attack during a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga event in Southport on 29 July. The victims have been identified by the police as six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar.
The BBC added that eight more children sustained injuries, with five in critical condition, along with two adults who also suffered critical injuries, according to Merseyside Police.
“Armed officers detained a male and seized a knife, with police later saying that a 17-year-old boy had been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder”, the report detailed. The police stated that the incident is not being treated as terror-related.
Fact or Fiction?
During a press conference on 29 July, Merseyside police chief constable Serena Kennedy said, “A 17-year-old boy from Banks, Lancashire, had been arrested on suspicion of murder. She added that he was originally from Cardiff, South Wales.”
On 30 July, the Merseyside Police released a statement urging people against speculating on the suspect’s identity. “A name has been shared on social media in connection with the suspect in the incident in Southport. This name is incorrect and we would urge people not to speculate on details of the incident while the investigation is ongoing”, it added.
According to the BBC, the suspect’s parents are from Rwanda and moved to the Southport area in 2013.
Virality:
The claim was shared on X here, here here, here, and here. Archived here, here here, here, and here.
It was also shared on Facebook here and here.
Conclusion: A 17-year-old asylum seeker who came to the UK by boat in 2023 was not responsible for the Southport stabbings. The prime suspect, arrested on suspicion of murder, was born in Cardiff, Wales, and is not an asylum-seeker.
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Background image in cover photo: The Guardian
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