Old photo misrepresented as Taylor Swift event stabbing suspect | Fact check
The claim: Photo shows Southport, UK stabbing suspect
A July 30 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows a photo of a man wearing black clothes and carrying what appears to be a knife.
"Here he is what a surprise #southport," reads text superimposed over the image. Additional text advocates for deporting people and closing borders.
The post was shared more than 2,000 times in a week.
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Our rating: False
The post does not show the suspect in a recent knife attack that took place in Southport, U.K. Instead, it shows an image associated with a 2023 knife attack in France.
Photo doesn't show Southport knife attack suspect
Three children were killed, and 10 other people were injured, when a knife-wielding assailant attacked attendees at a Taylor Swift-themed event in Southport, U.K., on July 29.
Axel Rudakubana, an 18-year-old from Cardiff, Wales, has been charged in the attack, but the photo in the Facebook post does not show Rudakubana. Instead, it shows an image widely published in media outlets in 2023 when a Syrian refugee stabbed children at a park in Annecy, France.
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After the Southport attack, anti-immigration and anti-Islam riots broke out in the U.K. as misinformation about the suspect's identity proliferated. The Facebook post appears to reference the false claim that the suspect is an immigrant, but Rudakubana was born in the U.K. to Rwandan parents.
USA TODAY was not able to determine whether Rudakubana had any religious affiliation. However, the vast majority of Rwandans are Christian, according to the U.S. Department of State.
The man arrested in the Annecy, France, knife attack was reportedly Christian.
USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Logically Facts and Reuters also debunked the post.
Our fact-check sources:
USA TODAY, July 30, 3 children dead, 10 injured in mass stabbing at Taylor Swift-themed class in Southport
The Guardian, Aug. 1, Southport murder accused named as Axel Rudakubana
The Guardian, June 8, 2023, Four children and two adults injured in knife attack in French Alps
BBC, June 8, 2023, France stabbing: Children attacked in Annecy park in stable condition
BBC, July 31, Thugs hijacked Southport and families' grief, MP says
The New York Times, Aug. 3, Violent Protests Grip U.K. in Wake of Knife Attack at Dance Class
Al Jazeera, Aug. 2, Southport stabbing: What led to the spread of disinformation?
CNN, Aug. 1, Violent scenes as far-right protesters ‘hijack’ vigil for 3 girls killed in Southport knife attack
The Washington Post, Aug. 1, U.K. stabbing suspect’s name released to stem misinformation, judge says
U.S. Department of State, accessed Aug. 6, 2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Rwanda
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Photo associated with French knife attack, not Southport | Fact check
