Liverpool parade: Why were suspect details released so quickly?
The police's rapid announcement of the age, ethnicity, and nationality of the Liverpool parade suspect shows they've learned lessons from the 2024 Southport attack.
Within two hours of a car hitting a crowd of Liverpool fans as they celebrated their team parading the Premier League trophy, Merseyside Police said they had arrested a "53-year-old white British man from the Liverpool area".
Last summer, the same force was criticised in the aftermath of the Southport stabbings when online speculation and misinformation filled a void after the same force released few details about a 17-year-old - later revealed to be Axel Rudakubana - that they had in custody.
On today's Sky News Daily, Matt Barbet is joined by our north of England correspondent Katerina Vittozzi, who is in Liverpool, and Helen King, former assistant chief constable for Merseyside Police, who talks about the challenges of policing online speculation.
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The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Moment of silence held for Southport victims to mark first anniversary of horror knife attack that killed three girls
A MOMENT of silence has been held for the victims of the tragic Southport attack last year. The Prime Minister said that the "whole nation" stands with the families of those affected, after a public vigil was held at 3pm today. 3 3 Sir Keir Starmer has paid tribute to the victims of the Southport stabbings a year on from the attack. The horrifying attack claimed the lives of Bebe King, Alice da Silva Aguiar and Elsie Dot Stancombe, who were attending a Taylor Swift-themed dance class. 'One year on, the whole nation stands with the families of Bebe, Alice and Elsie', the Prime Minister said in a statement on X. 'We stand together in grief, in honour of the memory of those wonderful children, and in admiration of the families who have shown strength beyond words. 'We stand with all the children and adults who still bear the physical and mental scars of that day – and in awe of those who risked their lives to help. 'And we stand with the people of Southport, who have shown Britain the meaning of community. The nation wants to put its arms around you all. 'We will come together today to show our sorrow and solidarity. But also to show our determination to uphold the true legacy of Bebe, Alice and Elsie – one of joy, kindness and love.' A vigil was held in Southport Town Hall gardens at 3pm, where several bunches of flowers were left in a special area for tributes. A teddy bear was also left amongst the flowers in tribute to Alice, Elsie and Bebe. Council notices were pinned to trees in the gardens, encouraging people to donate to local causes. Dads of Southport victims run London Marathon The notices said: 'The events which took place in Southport in July 2024 were truly shocking and members of our communities continue to be affected by what happened.' 'There remains a wealth of support available for people to access via Ahead of the vigil, Merseyside Police officers announced they would be in attendance to "stand in solidarity" with the Southport victims. In a post on its social media accounts, the force said: 'One year on, words still fall short. 'The loss we all feel today as we remember Alice, Elsie and Bebe remains immeasurable. 'We stand with their families, friends, those who were injured and the many others affected by what happened on that tragic day. 'At 3pm our officers and staff will be standing in solidarity to observe a three-minute silence in memory of the three girls and all those involved. 'May we continue to honour their memory with kindness, compassion and the strength of togetherness. 'Alice, Elsie and Bebe will forever be in our hearts.' is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
Western Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Western Telegraph
Southport falls silent to honour attack victims on first anniversary
A three-minute silence was held at 3pm on Tuesday, to mark a year since Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, died after Axel Rudakubana launched his attack at the Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the Merseyside town. No vigil was planned to mark the occasion by Sefton Council, who said they had been guided by the wishes of the family, but a crowd gathered in the Town Hall Gardens to observe the silence. Those sitting on benches stood as the clock on the Atkinson arts centre chimed 3pm. One child blew bubbles as the silence was observed, before people applauded and came forward with single pink roses which were left in a designated area in the corner of the gardens. Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar were killed in the atrocity (Merseyside Police/PA) The area was the location for a vigil in the wake of the attack last year and is due to be transformed into a legacy garden in memory of those who died. Members of the public had been encouraged to donate to causes, including those set up in the victims' names, in lieu of tributes, but people began leaving flowers on Tuesday morning. Candles and a teddy bear were also left and friendship bracelets were hung between trees. Colourful windmills and rocks painted with Elsie, Alice and Bebe's names on them were placed in a flowerbed. A year has passed since the devastating events in Southport. Our thoughts remain with the families of Alice da Silva Aguiar, Bebe King and Elsie Dot Stancombe – and all those affected. We will never forget. — Home Office (@ukhomeoffice) July 29, 2025 Notices nearby directed people to the Southport Together section of the council's website to access support. The notices said: 'The events which took place in Southport in July 2024 were truly shocking and members of our communities continue to be affected by what happened.' Flags were flown at half mast on the town halls in Southport and Liverpool. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the nation stood with the families of the three victims. In a post on X, he said: 'We stand together in grief, in honour of the memory of those wonderful children, and in admiration of the families who have shown strength beyond words. Today we remember Bebe King, 6, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, those injured and all those who ran towards danger to help last summer. The bravery of the families and all those affected is truly incredible and awe inspiring. Everyone in Southport will have you… — Mike Prendergast (@MikePrendUK) July 29, 2025 'We stand with all the children and adults who still bear the physical and mental scars of that day – and in awe of those who risked their lives to help. 'And we stand with the people of Southport, who have shown Britain the meaning of community. 'The nation wants to put its arms around you all. We will come together today to show our sorrow and solidarity. But also to show our determination to uphold the true legacy of Bebe, Alice and Elsie – one of joy, kindness and love.' Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the lives of the 'three innocent young girls' were 'extinguished in an act of pure evil'. One year on, the whole nation stands with the families of Bebe, Alice and Elsie. We stand together in grief, in honour of the memory of those wonderful children, and in admiration of the families who have shown strength beyond words. We stand with all the children and adults… — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 29, 2025 In a post on X, she said: 'We honour the memories of Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar. 'Their families, and those that survived, carry unimaginable grief and trauma. 'We owe it to them, the people of Southport and communities across the country to demand justice and learn the painful lessons of state failure to ensure nothing like this ever happens again.' One year on from the brutal murders in Southport, today we remember the three innocent young girls whose lives were extinguished in an act of pure evil. We honour the memories of Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice daSilva Aguiar. Their families, and those that survived,… — Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) July 29, 2025 Deputy leader of Sefton Council Paulette Lappin said the community was looking to move forward in a positive way. She told the PA news agency: 'It still remains beyond belief, even though I know it to be true, and so it's just very sad. 'From sadness, we hope to bring goodness and that's all we can do.'
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Trump breaks out Sean Connery impression as he oversees made-for-TV spectacle at new Scottish golf course
President Donald Trump cut the ribbon on his new Scottish golf course – organizing a spectacle that included bagpipes, fireworks, and hitting a long drive into the first fairway before the national media. He also rolled out a bit of a Sean Connery impression, as he revisited a claim that the late 007 was instrumental in bringing his course to reality. 'I just want to thank everybody. This has been an unbelievable development. The land, they said, couldn't get zoned, it was an impossibility,' said Trump. 'And Sean Connery said: "Let the bloody bloke build his golf course,"' he said, impersonating the beloved actor. 'Once he said that, everything came into line,' said Trump, adopting some of the local lingo. A 2008 report had a more Connery expressing support for the benefits of the course, but in less insistent language, with the acting legend saying it gave a 'vote of confidence' to local tourism. Local officials later disputed Trump's claim that Connery pushed through approval. The president marched toward the first tee accompanied by a bagpipe band for the remarks on the fourth day of his trip to Scotland – just the latest display of pageantry and Trump's third performance of the trip. His team kept a crowd that included retired golf pros and soccer players waiting while the president warmed up his swing on a driving range in preparation for a ceremonial fires drive before onlookers. Before that, trump gave uncharacteristically brief remarks to dignitaries, mentioning his intervention into a border clash between Thailand and Cambodia and prospects for new trade talks with the U.S. 'I look forward to playing it today. We'll play it very quickly, and then I go back to DC and we put out fires all over the world,' Trump said. 'We did one yesterday, as you know, we stopped a war. But we stopped about five wars. So that's much more important than playing golf, as much as I like it,' Trump said, on a trip where he announced he was moving up a deadline for Russia to end its war on Ukraine or face secondary tariffs. Trump, whose foursome included son Eric and two golf pros, was the first person to ever play the course, which had been built over a period years by a team that included three architects, engineers, and groundskeepers. The new course's branding logo is 'the greatest 36 holes of golf,' after the combined two links courses on the North Sea. The new course features holes that meander through natural dunes, marshes, and agricultural areas. Every hole has a sea view, and all feature vistas of the Scottish countryside. According to Trump International Scotland, it also features 'the world's largest natural bunker' – a claim that is tough to verify and that one insider indicated might be more impressionistic. A crowd of VIPs up front included U.S. ambassador to the UK Warren Stephens, Lord Aberdeen, and sports figures including Liverpool star Robby Fowler, who once famously appeared to hit back at rival fans by pretending to snort cocaine off a soccer pitch line. A sound system drew from the Trump rally playlist with songs like 'Surfin' USA and Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' while the crowd waited. 'Not exactly A-listers,' quipped one crowd member about the collection of names. Trump had a chance to hold the record for the course, if briefly. He is the first person to play it in its entirety – although he assembled a talented foursome. Among them was Trump's son Eric, who helped oversee the project to 'to shape the dunes and build something that's truly, truly exceptional,' as he described it. There was a long saga to build the course, which required Trump to overcome local property owners and environmental opposition before he was president. He referenced it at the top of his remarks. 'Welcome. If you remember at the beginning, it wasn't quite a welcome. But it wasn't bad. But with time they've liked us more and more. And now they love us, and we love them,' as Trump told it. Trump's trip has been filled with branding opportunities, as world leaders came to his Turnberry course to tout its beauty. But describing the new course – technically named for his mother and her MacLeod clan – the president opted for simplicity. 'We have the first course, which we call the old course, and the second course, which we call the new course, because that's the best way to describe. Anything else gets too complicated. [Otherwise] they don't know which is which … and it's going to be something very special,' he said. A large billboard outside the course says 'tickets for sale now' for the upcoming Nexo championship event. The White House has brushed off ethics groups pointing to using the office to promote a private business, and have called the five-day trip a 'working visit.' The president may have been poking at environmental regulations when he talked about the course, with hulking offshore wind turbines – Trump's green energy nightmare – in the distance. 'So I just guess we're going to be hitting a couple of balls and we're going to play the round. .. These are very hard to build. And you won't see them built anymore. You'll probably never see another course built in the dunes, not dunes like this,' he said. The president was wistful at times, even mustering kind words for the press – which may have been a hint that the media pac included local and sports journalists. 'And thank you to the media, the media's been terrific, believe it or not. I didn't use the word fake news one time – not one time today. They're not fake news today. They're wonderful news,' said Trump. His brief speech was followed by a ribbon cutting with golden scissors. Some aides had trimmed it slightly shorter before Trump arrived to give it the correct length. That was followed by a brief display of red, white and blue fireworks. Then Trump hit a drive before the crowd – hitting his shot an ample distance in the center of the fairway. Eric's shot went straight, too, who with less arc. Pro golfers Rich Beem, a 2002 PGA winner, and Paul McGinley, an Irish Ryder Cup hero, appeared to hit their first shots longer, winning applause. A pair of reporters tried to get Trump talking, after he went on for more than an hour Monday at Turnberry, addressing Russia, trade, and the Jeffrey Epstein controversy. When one asked Trump for his Middle East plan, there was grumbling from the crowd at the topic, or at least the timing.
