The suspect in the Southport attacks refused to speak as he appeared in court on charges of making the poison ricin and possessing an Al Qadea terror manual.
Axel Rudakubana, 18, is already facing three counts of murder and the attempted murder of eight other children and two adults in a stabbing spree at a dance class.
The teenager was charged in the days after the fatal stabbings of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Hart Street, Southport, on July 29.
On Tuesday, it was revealed that Rudakubana is now to face two fresh allegations, including a charge under the Terrorism Act.
Merseyside Police said the new allegations being brought to court related to items recovered from Rudakubana’s home in Banks, Lancashire.
It is said he had produced the toxin ricin prior to the stabbing spree, and allegedly had a pdf file of a terror document titled: “Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants: The Al-Qaeda Training Manual”.
At Westminster magistrates court on Wednesday, Rudakubana appeared on a videolink from HMP Belmarsh for a hearing in front of Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring.
He sat alone on a red bench in the videolink room, and used his prison-issue grey jumper to cover part of his face.
Rudakubana stayed silent throughout the seven-minute hearing, including when asked to confirm if he could hear the court and again when asked to identify himself.
A guard then said: “We can hear you but Mr Rudakubana is choosing not to say anything.”
His barrister, Stan Reiz KC, added: “Mr Rudakubana remained silent in previous hearings”, and said he was content for the hearing to continue.
Judge Goldspring attempted to illicit a response at the end of the hearing, but Rudakubana refused to even nod to say he could hear proceedings.
Announcement of the new charges sparked an unusual public reaction among high-profile politicians, who are normally guarded in their comments when court proceedings are active.
Both Conservative leadership candidates said the Government had “questions to answer” about the case, while Reform UK leader Nigel Farage claimed he had been calling on the authorities to reveal more details about the case to “stop the online speculation”.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper warned against speculating about the case, adding: “The most important thing is to get justice for Bebe, Alice and Elsie and their heartbroken families, and all those affected by the attack, and nobody should put that at risk.”
According to the charges, authorised by the CPS on Tuesday, the toxin was produced on or before July 29, and Rudakubana was charged with possessing the document between August 29 2021 and July 30 2024.
Rudakubana is alleged to have entered the school holiday dance class at a small business park in Southport shortly before midday on July 29.
The day after the attack, thousands of people turned out for a peaceful vigil in the town but later a separate protest erupted into violence outside a mosque in the town.
In the following week, protests took place in dozens of towns and cities across the country and descended into violence and rioting, with asylum centre hotels in particular targeted.
More than 1,000 arrests have since been made and hundreds of people have been charged and jailed.
A provisional trial date for Rudakubana has been set for January next year.
Judge Goldspring sent the new charges against Rudakubana to Liverpool crown court, with the defendant next due to appear on November 13.
A provisional trial date for charges of murder, attempted murder, and possession of a knife has been set for January next year.
