U.K. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper also decried the violence, calling the attacks on police and the mosque “appalling.”

“The community of Southport are reeling from a horrifying ordeal and families are grieving,” Cooper said in a statement. “This violent thuggery, which has overshadowed a peaceful vigil for three little girls, is an insult to the community and to all those who need the space to process what has happened and to heal.”

Earlier Tuesday, hundreds of people attended a vigil for the stabbing victims in the center of Southport.

Three girls — 6-year-old Bebe King, 7-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and 9-year-old Alice Dasilva Aguiar — were killed in the stabbing.

Five children and two adults injured in the stabbing remained in critical condition on Tuesday, police said.