Online misinformation fuels tensions over deadly Southport stabbing attack

Flowers and toys are placed on the junction of Tithebarn Road and Hart Street in Southport, England, July 31, 2024, after three girls were killed in a knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed holiday club earlier in the week.

Within hours of a stabbing attack in northwest England that killed three young girls and wounded several more children, a false name of a supposed suspect was circulating on social media. Hours after that, violent protesters were clashing with police outside a nearby mosque.