A teenager pleaded guilty Monday to killing three girls and injuring 10 others during a stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in England last summer.

Axel Rudakubana, 18, made a surprise plea at the start of his trial at Liverpool Crown Court, pleading guilty to three counts of murder, 10 counts of attempted murder and additional charges of possessing ricin and possessing an al-Qaida handbook.

The July 29 stabbings sparked a week of unrest in parts of England and Northern Ireland after the suspect was falsely identified as an asylum seeker who had recently arrived in Britain by boat. He was born in Wales.

Rudakubana faces life in prison on Thursday, the judge said.

Defense attorney Stanley Reise said he will present the judge with information about Rudakubana's mental health that may be relevant to his sentence.

Rudakubana refused to appear in court and once again refused to identify himself at the start of the trial.

Prosecutors have not said what they believe led to the rampage that killed 9-year-old Elise DaSilva Aguiar, 7-year-old Elsie Dot Stancom and 6-year-old Baby King.

Misidentified as a migrant

The stabbings sparked a week of unrest in parts of England and Northern Ireland after Rudakubana, who has not been named, was falsely identified as a recent asylum seeker. Beer bottles, stones and other weapons were thrown at police at mosques and hotels where migrants lived. and set fire to cars as they clashed with officers in dozens of cities.

More than 1,200 people were arrested for rioting and hundreds were jailed for up to nine years.

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Eight other girls, aged 7 to 13, were injured in the attack, as were instructors Leanne Lucas and Jonathan Hayes, who worked at a neighboring business and intervened.Fifteen other girls aged five and over were in the classroom, but unharmed.

Several months after his arrest on the day of the murder, Rudakubana was indicted on additional charges of biological poison, production of ricin, and possession of information likely to be useful in obtaining a manual for a person committing or preparing to commit a terrorist act. in a document on his computer.

Police said the stabbings were not classified as acts of terrorism because a motive was not yet known.