The teenager accused of stabbing three girls to death in Southport faces a separate terror charge after police said a biological toxin and an al Qaeda training manual were found in a search of his home.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, from Lancashire, is already charged with three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder following the mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop in July.
The victims of the attack from left: Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice Dasilva Aguiar and Bebe King.
Pic: Merseyside Police
At a briefing today, Chief Constable Serena Kennedy from Merseyside Police said the teenager now faces two further charges related to evidence obtained by police following searches of his home after the attacks.
She said he now faces one charge of the “production of a biological toxin, namely ricin, contrary to Section 1 of the Biological Weapons Act 1974”.
He also faces a terror charge of possession of information “likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, contrary to Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000”.
She added that this charge relates to a PDF file entitled Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants: The Al-Qaeda Training Manual.
Axel Rudakubana when he was younger
However, police have not declared the events of 29 July a terrorist incident.
“For a matter to be declared as a terrorist incident, motivation would need to be established,” Chief Constable Kennedy said.
Health officials added that there was no evidence of ricin poisoning at the dance event that the attack took place in, or that any members of the public were exposed.
“Following the events of Monday 29 July, searches of Axel Rudakubana’s home resulted in an unknown substance being found. Testing confirmed the substance as ricin,” Chief Constable Kennedy said.
“We have worked extensively with partners to establish there was a low to very low risk to the public and I want to make that reassurance clear today.”
Rudakubana will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court via videolink tomorrow in relation to the latest charges.
Girls killed and children injured
The three girls who died in the attack were named as six-year-old Bebe King, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and nine-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar.
Eight other children were stabbed during the attack at The Hart Space community centre in the Merseyside town.
Five of them were left in a critical condition. Two adults who were trying to protect the children were also left in a critical condition.
Rudakubana, who was 17 at the time, was arrested on suspicion of carrying out the attack the same day.
The attack was followed by days of far-right riots up and down the UK after misinformation online said the suspect was an asylum seeker who arrived in the UK by boat.
However, it later emerged that Rudakubana was born in Cardiff in Wales.
Nearly 400 people have so far been jailed for offences relating to the disorder, the government has said.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.