A British teenager on Monday pleaded guilty to charges of murdering three young girls in a knife attack in northern England in July, a crime that horrified the nation and was followed by days of nationwide rioting.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, also pleaded guilty to ten counts of attempted murder following the attack in summer last year

LONDON/LIVERPOOL, England - A British teenager unexpectedly pleaded guilty on Monday to murdering three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance event last July, while the government said it would hold an inquiry into the atrocity which was followed by nationwide rioting.

The 18-year-old accused of killing three girls at a dance class in Southport has admitted the attack on the first day of his trial. Axel Rudakubana, of Banks, Lancashire, was to stand trial at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday.