Who is Axel Rudakubana?
Axel Rudakubana is a British teenager who gained widespread notoriety in 2024 for murdering three girls. He has since been arrested, charged, and convicted of the murders, with the case drawing widespread media attention.
About Axel Rudakubana’s early life and upbringing
Axel Rudakubana’s full name is Axel Muganwa Rudakubana. He was born on August 7, 2006, in Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom to immigrant Rwandan parents. As of the time of publishing this article (February 2025), Axel Rudakubana is 18 years old.
Although the UK teen murderer was born in the Thornhill area of Cardiff, he was raised in the Southport area. His family relocated to the area in 2013. When Axel Rudakubana was 11, he was featured in an advert for BBC Children In Need. In the advert, the Southport teenager was dressed as David Tennant’s “Doctor Who” and was offering advice on how to raise money. Growing up, Axel was also involved in acting and belonged to a musical theater group. According to reports, Axel Rudakubana has autism and has struggled with mental health issues since childhood.
About Axel Rudakubana’s parents
Axel Rudakubana’s parents are Alphonse Rudakubana (father) and Laetitia Muzayire Rudakubana (mother). His parents immigrated from Rwanda to the United Kingdom in 2002. According to reports, Axel Rudakubana comes from a Christian household.
Axel’s father, Alphonse Rudakubana, is a minicab driver and a former member of The Community Church, Southport. The church has since released a statement, describing the family as “devastated” by their son’s actions. The church also shared that the Rudakubana family had been moved to a secret location for their safety.
About Axel Rudakubana’s siblings
Axel Rudakubana has an older brother who was born in Cardiff, United Kingdom. However, information about Axel’s brother is currently scarce in the media.
About Axel Rudakubana’s education
Axel Rudakubana attended Range High School in Formby, England from 2017 to 2019. However, school authorities expelled him in 2019 for bringing a knife to class. At the time, Rudakubana claimed that his schoolmates were bullying him because of his race and that he had brought the knife to protect himself. Following his expulsion, Rudakubana returned to Range High School with a hockey stick, attacking a student and breaking their wrist in the process.
The UK teen murderer then attended The Acorns School, Lancashire and Presfield High School & Specialist College in Southport. At both schools, Axel’s teachers expressed concern about his behavior.
Axel Rudakubana’s wiki profile
| Full name | Axel Muganwa Rudakubana |
| Place of Birth | Cardiff, Wales, UK |
| Date of Birth | August 7, 2006 |
| Age | 18 |
| Height | N/A |
| Parents | Alphonse Rudakubana and Laetitia Rudakubana |
| Alma mater | Range High School, The Acorns School and Presfield High School & Specialist College |
| Criminal status | Convicted murderer, detained at His Majesty’s pleasure, with a minimum term of 52 years |
| Marital status | Unmarried |
| Net Worth | N/A |
| N/A |
A timeline of Axel Rudakubana’s disturbing behavior
Between 2019 and 2022, many people expressed concern about Axel Rudakubana’s disturbing behavior. In 2019, Axel’s school reported him to Prevent, the UK’s counter-terrorism strategy, after they caught him researching school shootings during an IT class. The teenager also showed interest in genocides, such as the Rwandan genocide, and conflicts like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Balkan wars. He was also fascinated by notorious figures like Adolf Hitler. A PDF file titled “Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants: The Al-Qaeda Training Manual” was found on Rudakubana’s device. He reportedly owned the document since 2021.
Axel Rudakubana was reported again in February 2021 after a schoolmate notified authorities about his social media posts about Muammar Gaddafi. A further complaint was filed in April 2021 when he was caught researching the 2017 London Bridge terror attacks on a school computer.
Axel Rudakubana’s parents also called the police for help because of the teen’s “escalating behavior”. In November 2021, the police were called after Axel kicked his father and damaged his car. In May 2022, officers stated that Alphonse Rudakubana had called them, claiming his son’s behavior had become violent after he was denied access to a computer. Two months before this incident, Rudakubana was also found carrying a knife after his mother reported him missing.
About the Southport stabbing attack
On July 29, 2024, Axel Rudakubana carried out a mass stabbing, targeting young girls. The attack occurred at the Hart Space, a dance and yoga studio in Southport, Merseyside, UK, where 26 children were attending a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop.
On the day of the attack, Rudakubana wore a green hoodie and a medical face mask. He had arrived at Hart Street shortly before 11:45 am, having booked a taxi under the false name, “Simon.” Rudakubana entered the dance studio building armed with an 8-inch-long kitchen knife. The Southport teenager randomly stabbed children, moving quietly through the room. Axel also stabbed the yoga teacher, Leanne Lucas, five times in the back. Fortunately, Lucas could shepherd some children out of the studio. She also managed to call the police, instructing the children to run away.
Police officers and first responders arrived at the scene minutes after Lucas made the call. Sadly, three girls passed away, while ten others, including Leanne Lucas, were injured. Six-year-old Bebe King and seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe died at the scene, while nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar died in the hospital the following day.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer thanked emergency services for their quick response, describing the incident as horrible and shocking.
Aftermath of the Southport attack
Following the Southport attack, authorities did not initially disclose Axel Rudakubana’s identity. This led to widespread speculation and misinformation, including false claims that he was a Muslim illegal immigrant. In reality, Axel Rudakubana is a Christian. Influencer Andrew Tate also contributed to the misinformation. Tate posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) stating that an “undocumented migrant” who had “arrived on a boat” had attacked the girls in Southport. The misinformation led to riots and attacks on the Muslim community.
About Axel Rudakubana’s arrest and charges
Local police arrested UK teen murderer Axel Rudakubana at the crime scene. He was later charged with three counts of murder, ten counts of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article. At the time of committing the crime, Axel Rudakubana was 17 years old.
Axel Rudakubana was later charged under the Terrorism Act 2000 and the Biological Weapons Act 1974 for possessing an Al-Qaeda training manual and producing ricin, a potent toxin.
About Axel Rudakubana’s conviction and sentence
In December 2024, Rudakubana’s lawyer pleaded not guilty on his behalf as Axel refused to speak during the hearing. However, on January 20, 2025, Rudakubana pleaded guilty to all charges against him. On January 23, 2025, the Southport killer was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 52 years. Rudakubana may not apply for parole before the year 2077.
On February 4, 2025, another hearing was held to correct his life sentence. Meanwhile, Rudakubana remained in his cell and refused to attend. At the hearing, Rudakubana’s sentence was amended to “detained at His Majesty’s Pleasure,” because he was below 18 years old at the time of the murders. However, the judge, Mr. Justice Goose, clarified that it’s still a life sentence but of a different kind.
