1 of 4 | A prison van carrying Axel Rudakubana leaves Liverpool Crown Court in Liverpool, Britain, after the teen pleaded guilty to three counts of murder and 10 counts of attempted murder for a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop in Southport on July 29. Photo by Adam Vaughan/EPA-EFE
Jan. 20 (UPI) -- Axel Rudakubana, 18, on Monday unexpectedly pleaded guilty in the Liverpool Crown Court to the stabbing deaths of three young girls and stabbing 10 others in Southport, Britain, on July 29.
He also pleaded guilty to carrying a kitchen knife in a public place, producing ricin poison and a terrorism charge due to his possession of an Al Qaeda PDF manual entitled, "Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants, the Al Qaeda training Manual," the BBC reported.
The court earlier acted on Rudakubana's behalf by entering not guilty pleas to all charges against him, but he changed his pleas to guilty on the first day of the trial.
As the court clerk read each of 16 charges against him, the teen responded, "guilty," which the clerk confirmed by stating Rudakubana wished to change his plea.
"You have now pleaded guilty to this indictment and to each of the charges upon it," Judge Justice Goose said after the teen responded to each charge, the Manchester Evening News reported.
"You will understand it is inevitable the sentence to be imposed upon you will mean a life sentence equivalent will be imposed upon you," Goose said. "I will have to complete the sentencing process on that on that occasion."
Rudakubana is scheduled to be sentenced on Thursday at 11 a.m. local time.
Rudakubana was 17 when he attacked and killed Bebe King, 6; Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7; and Alice da Silva Aguiar, 9, during a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport on July 29.
Rudakubana also stabbed eight other girls and two adults with a kitchen knife during the mass-stabbing event.
The teen "meticulously planned rampage" and had a "sickening and sustained interest in death and violence" leading up to the mass stabbing attack, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor Ursula Doyle said in a statement following Monday's court hearing.
"This was an unspeakable attack, on which left an enduring mark on our community and the nation for its savagery and senselessness," Doyle said, adding the teen has shown no sign of remorse.
"The prosecution was determined to prove his guilt," Doyle said. "I am deeply grateful today's plea has spared the families at the heart of this case the pain of having to relive their ordeal through a trial."
Rudakubana had a history of violence prior to the mass stabbing attack, including attacking another student with a hockey stick, which led to his expulsion from their mutual high school, The Standard reported.
The July 29th mass murder triggered riots in many parts of the United Kingdom as speculation on the teen's motivation raised concerns of terrorism.
Rudakubana was born in Cardiff and is a British citizen, but his parents immigrated to the United Kingdom from Rwanda many years earlier.
They are Christians, but misinformation shared online and on social media incorrectly identified Rudakubana as Muslim and an asylum-seeker who recently had immigrated to Britain.
Prosecutors for three months also withheld information regarding the terrorism charge arising from his possession of the Al Qaeda manual.
Protesters and counter-protesters clashed and more than 1,000 arrests were made to quell the violence that also targeted mosques and hotels where asylum seekers were sheltered.