What was claimed
The name of the suspect arrested in connection with the fatal stabbing of three children in Southport is Ali Al-Shakati.
Our verdict
False. Merseyside Police say this is not the name of the suspect.
Incorrect name for Southport stabbings suspect circulates online
31 July 2024
Posts on social media have incorrectly named the suspect arrested in connection with the fatal stabbing of three children in Southport as “Ali Al-Shakati”.
Eight other children and two adults were also injured in the knife attack on 29 July.
Police have not named the suspect who was arrested on Monday. But in an email to Full Fact, and in a statement issued on Tuesday, a Merseyside Police spokesperson said: “A name has been shared on social media in connection with the suspect in the incident in Southport. This name is incorrect and we would urge people not to speculate on details of the incident while the investigation is ongoing.”
A police spokesperson told Full Fact that “Ali Al-Shakati” is the name which the statement was referring to as being incorrect.
Merseyside Police said: “A 17-year-old male from Banks in Lancashire, who was born in Cardiff, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.”
Full Fact often sees people being mistakenly identified as perpetrators or victims during significant events such as this, and we have previously fact checked a number of claims which identified the wrong person in the aftermath of a major incident. It’s important to consider whether what you are seeing is accurate before sharing.
This article is part of our work fact checking potentially false pictures, videos and stories on Facebook. You can read more about this—and find out how to report Facebook content—here. For the purposes of that scheme, we’ve rated this claim as false because the police have said that “Ali Al-Shakati” is not the name of the suspect.