Southport stabbing latest: Third child dies after Southport dance class stabbing, say police

By Shayan Sardarizadeh

Almost immediately after the deadly stabbing attack in
Southport, baseless rumours began spreading online.

While police and emergency services were still responding to the
attack, a widely shared LinkedIn post claimed without evidence that “a
migrant” was responsible.

But the most viral source of rumours so far has been a
report published on an obscure US-based website which claims to cover
“breaking news”.

The report falsely claims that that the 17-year
old suspect is an “asylum seeker” named “Ali
Al-Shakati”, who “arrived in the UK by boat last year”.

Merseyside Police has confirmed that the suspect was born in
Cardiff, and has yet to identify the 17-year-old.

The report also adds that the suspect was “on
the MI6 watch list”, despite the fact that it is MI5, not MI6, that deals
with domestic counter-terrorism cases.

The name “Ali Al-Shakati” has since been widely shared
online in posts viewed by millions.

Some other outlets, including Russia’s RT news channel, have
also reported this name, citing the US-based website.

Other variations of the report, including the claim that the
suspect was a “Channel migrant”, have also been widely circulated.