Teen accused of stabbing in UK pleads not guilty to murder

LONDON. A teenager accused of killing three girls and injuring 10 others in an attack at a Taylor Swift dance class in England this summer remained silent in court Wednesday as he entered a not guilty plea.

Axel Rudakubani, 18, who refused to speak at each court appearance, was charged with three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and additional charges related to possession of ricin poison and having al-Qaida leadership.

Judge Julian Goose ordered a clerk to make the plea at Liverpool Crown Court because Rudakubana did not remain silent during a video appearance from the London jail where he is being held.

His trial is scheduled for January 20.

It was the first time in court that the teenager did not pull the collar of his sweater over his nose to cover his face.

He appeared to smile as the officer confirmed that the hearing could be held at the prison. The judge noted that Rudakubana was unresponsive. He swayed from side to side as the charges were read, and at one point leaned forward.

Rudakuban was charged in August with killing three girls — Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Baby King, 6 — and stabbing 10 others on July 29 in the seaside town of Southport in northern England.

The attack on a small dance and yoga studio on the first day of the summer holidays sparked a week of unrest across England and Northern Ireland, fueled by far-right activists.