A horrific array of weapons, including knives, a machete and crossbow arrows were discovered in the bedroom of Southport killer Axel Rudakubana, as well as deadly ricin
A terrifying cache of weapons and a lunch box containing deadly ricin were discovered in Axel Rudakubana’s bedroom.
It is believed he used Amazon to buy a number of blades and equipment to make the poison at least two years before the murders. Police released pictures of a machete, crossbow arrows and knives found under his bed when they raided his home after the Southport murders.
Their search came to a halt the next day when they discovered a “pulp” in a plastic container in his bedroom. Scientists at Porton Down confirmed it was ricin, a lethal toxin derived from castor beans. Liverpool crown court heard the 150 beans police found could have produced enough ricin to kill 12,500 people if inhaled.
Also in Rudakubana’s room were the contents of his chemical lab – goggles, sieves, funnels, a conical flask and a pestle and mortar with the remnants of castor beans still inside. A search of the messy living room found a knife identical to the one used to murder the three girls.
Police also discovered a number of electronic devices, most of which had their search history wiped clean. The killer, then 17, was found to have read articles and books that showed his obsession with extreme violence.
These included texts on genocide in his parents’ native Rwanda, Nazi war atrocities, urban warfare tactics and graphic details of torture and cannibalism. He was also found to have researched the use of car bombs, “electronic detonators” and “strong nitric acid”. In addition, a file was found containing an al-Qaeda training manual.
Rudakubana is thought to have used security software to hide his identity when buying online. He took delivery of two knives on 13 July – two weeks before the Southport atrocity. It is illegal to sell blades to under-18s.
Currently, when someone orders knives on Amazon they have to enter their date of birth and are told: “Valid photographic ID with a date of birth may also be required upon delivery. The driver will input your year of birth into their device and may then require an ID check to complete the age verification process.”
As Rudakubana was jailed, more details emerged about previous concerns which had been raised. He was referred to Prevent – the anti-extremism programme – three times and police were contacted about him five times.
In 2019 he contacted Childline and asked: “What should I do if I want to kill somebody?” After being spoken to by police he admitted taking a knife to Range High School in Formby, Lancs, 10 times.
He was moved to another school but in December that year he returned and attacked a pupil with a hockey stick. Police found a kitchen knife in his backpack. He admitted assault causing actual bodily harm, having an offensive weapon and having a bladed article and was given a referral order. The first referral to Prevent was in November 2019 after he researched school shootings in class.
A second came in February 2021 after reports he had uploaded two images of Colonel Gadaffi. And in April 2021 a third was made because he was found researching the London Bridge terror attack. In November 2021 police were called after he kicked his dad and damaged his car. In March 2022 he confessed to having a knife on a bus.
In May that year his father called police after he lost his temper when denied computer access. After Rudakubana was sentenced, police released footage of his dad stopping him taking a cab to his old school where it is believed he was planning a massacre. There is no suggestion his dad knew what he was plotting.
It happened a week before Southport. He was wearing a green hoodie and surgical mask – the same outfit he wore on his killing spree. It also emerged six minutes before leaving home to commit mass murder Rudakubana researched a brutal knife attack earlier that year on Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel in a Sydney church. After watching the clip he called a cab and headed to Southport.
