Violent clashes after the murder of three children: Chaos on the streets, police vans set on fire PHOTO

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the incidents and said the crowd had desecrated a peaceful vigil the day before, when several hundred people gathered in downtown Southport to mourn the dead and 10 wounded, seven of whom were in a critical condition, AP reported.

Police added that a violent group set fire to a police van, with several cars of supporters of the English Defense League, a right-wing group, present next to it, while the riots were motivated by rumors about the identity of a teenager arrested for the crime.

Tanjug/Richard McCarthy/PA via AP

"There has been a lot of speculation about the status of a 17-year-old man who is in custody, and individuals are using that to create chaos on our streets," said Alex Goss, assistant chief constable of Merseyside, Southport.

Southport is located 25 kilometers from Liverpool.

Police previously said the suspect's name, which appeared on social media, was incorrect and that the suspect was born in Britain, contrary to online claims that he was an asylum seeker.

The Liverpool Region Mosques Association released a comment, calling the teenager's attack a "brutal" attack on society, unrelated to Islam.

Tanjug/Richard McCarthy/PA via AP

Riot police outside a mosque in Southport were pelted with bricks taken from nearby homes, and some of the protesters wore masks chanting "No surrender" and "English to death".

Firecrackers also flew, sirens sounded, and a helicopter flew over the area while the riots continued.

A total of 22 police officers were injured, eight of them seriously, with fractures, cuts and contusions.

Two police dogs were injured by stones, and the third received burns.

• Knife attack in England; At least eight people were injured