A fake news website with links to Russia helped spread lies about the Southport stabbings, which led to a series of violent riots throughout the UK.

On Monday, a 17-year-old boy was arrested over the killing of three young girls attending a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, in a mass stabbing rampage that saw nine others critically injured. The suspect, now charged and named in court as Axel Rudakubana, was identified after a judge lifted reporting restrictions that would have granted him anonymity until he turned 18.

Website that Fueled Southport Riots Linked to Russia

The misinformation about the suspect’s identity was spread by a social media account named Channel3 Now, which masquerades as an American news network. The account falsely claimed that the alleged murderer was an asylum seeker named Ali Al-Shakati, who was “on the MI6 watch list” and “known to mental health services.”

These claims were quickly amplified by Russian state media and far-right influencers Tommy Robinson and Andrew Tate, who suggested the suspect was an “illegal migrant” who had recently entered the country on a small boat. Channel3 Now’s initial post was viewed nearly two million times before it was deleted. The site’s ‘Editor’ later posted an AI-generated apology, claiming the team responsible for the post had been “sacked.”

Police and Public Response

The false claims prompted Merseyside Police to release a statement clarifying that the suspect was born in Cardiff and that the name circulated by Channel3 was incorrect. Despite this, hundreds of far-right hooligans hijacked a vigil for the victims in Southport, attacking police, chanting “English til I die,” and setting a police van on fire.


Investigating the Fake News Outlet

An investigation by the Mail revealed that Channel3 Now, which claims to be based in the US, actually started life 11 years ago as a Russian YouTube channel. Its first video, posted in 2013, showed Russian men rally-driving in the snow in Izhevsk, a city about 750 miles east of Moscow. The drivers named in the videos were later revealed to have connections to the country’s defence and IT industries, including a man who appears to be a former KGB operative who has since served in Russia’s parliament.

Channel 3 Now lay inactive for six years before re-emerging in 2019, posting a variety of news pieces. The organization has since rebranded multiple times, changing its name to aliases such as ‘Fox3 News’ and ‘Fox3 Now’ to mimic legitimate news organizations. It set up a website last June, accused of sharing ‘racially motivated click-bait.’

Although Channel3 claims to be based in the US, it is registered with an online hosting company in Lithuania and uses privacy features to hide its owner’s identity. The first mention of the Southport suspect’s false name appeared on Twitter from a well-known UK anti-lockdown activist, followed by Channel 3 two minutes later, and then by Russian state broadcaster Russia Today (RT).

Despite Channel3 deleting the tweet containing the false name, RT kept it on their website with an Editor’s Note stating, “The outlet has later retracted the claim.”

Calls for Cyber-Resilience

Before the election, Conservative security advisor Stephen McPartland suggested Russia could be behind a social media misinformation campaign designed to inflame tensions in the UK. McPartland’s report, which Rishi Sunak pledged to implement, called for a substantial review of cybersecurity and social media misinformation. He stated, “Disinformation to undermine democracy is a huge part of the Russian playbook… The tragic events in Southport are being mobilized by hostile states to stir up hatred and division instead of letting the community grieve. We need much more cyber-resilience throughout our whole society and economy to defend democracy.”