PAYoung children are thought to be among eight people injured in a knife attack in Southport at a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga event for primary school aged children was taking place.
Merseyside Police said armed officers “detained a male and seized a knife” after they were called to a property in the town.
Eight patients with stab injuries were treated by the ambulance service and some were taken to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, which has declared a major incident.
Here is what we know so far about the attack.
How did it unfold?
Police were called to reports of a stabbing on Hart Street in Southport at about 11:50BST on Monday.
They described what had happened as a “major incident” and said a number of casualties had been reported.
North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) said they had treated eight patients with stab injuries.
The victims were taken to Aintree University Hospital, Southport and Formby Hospital, and Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
It added that 13 ambulances, specialised resources of its Hazardous Area Response Team (Hart), an air ambulance and doctors were dispatched.
Alder Hey declared a major incident, and told parents to bring their children to its emergency department only if it is urgent.
Air ambulance doctors delivered “advanced emergency care” for one patient and accompanied them to hospital by road, the Great North Air Ambulance service.
Where did the attack happen?
Details of the people injured have not yet been confirmed, but witnesses report seeing children among the victims.
A “Taylor Swift yoga and dance workshop” aimed at primary school children aged six to 10 was taking place nearby.
Journalist Tim Johnson, of Eye on Southport, arrived at the scene about 20 minutes after the police had been called.
He said the incident happened at the Hope of Hart children’s club, which is housed in a former warehouse building on a back street.
He saw one girl on a stretcher who was seriously injured, and said “it was horrendous, I’ve never seen anything like it”.
Mr Johnson said paramedics were among “people in tears in the streets”.
What do we know about the suspect?
PAMerseyside Police confirmed that armed police “detained a male and seized a knife” following the incident, and said there was no wider threat to the public.
The force later said a 17-year-old boy from Banks, a Merseyside village to the north of Southport, was arrested in connection with the stabbing, and is in police custody.
He will be questioned about the incident, and police said they are working to establish the motive for the attack.
Police confirmed that the incident is not currently being treated as terror-related and said no one else is being sought in connection with it.
Old School Close in Banks, about a 15-minute drive away from the scene, has been cordoned off with officers stationed outside a house.
The Liverpool Echo has reported that an operation there is connected to the stabbings, but this has not been confirmed.
What have witnesses said?
One eyewitnesses at the scene said the scene was like a “horror movie”.
Colin Parry, the owner of Masters Vehicle Body Repairs on Hart Street, who called the police, said he believed six or seven “young girls” had been stabbed.
“It’s like something from America, not like sunny Southport,” he said.
One neighbour, helped by another, took “about 10 girls to safety” in his house, Mr Parry told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“The community was coming together, everyone was trying to help,” he said. “Everyone was trying to save the young kids.”
He said another man, a builder, also helped some of the children leave the site of the attack.
A local parent, who did not wish to be named, said his daughter was “traumatised” by the attack.
He said: “My daughter was in it and she was traumatised.
“She ran away and she’s safe.”
Joanne, a therapy nurse who lives in the area, says she ran out of work after receiving a call from a friend, as she had to make sure her daughters, aged 11 and 20, were safe.
She says one of her daughters heard “quite a sinister scream” when she was in the garden around the time of the incident.
“Nobody can believe it. All the local mums have checked in with one another. I’m sure we’re all going to know somebody from that poor group,” she adds.
How have political leaders reacted?
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the multiple stabbings were “horrendous and deeply shocking” as he thanked emergency services for their response.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “The news from Southport is truly devastating. My heart goes out to all the families affected by this horrific incident & to the whole community.”
Southport MP Patrick Hurley added that he was “hoping for the best possible outcomes to the casualties affected”.
Steve Rotheram, mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said he was “deeply concerned” to hear about the incident, and urged the public not to spread “unconfirmed speculation and false information”.