Man, 25, in dock over murder of UK MP David Amess
LONDON: A 25-year-old man appeared in court on Thursday charged with the murder of British MP David Amess, who was stabbed to death last week in what lawyers said was an attack with a “terrorist connection”.
Ali Harbi Ali, who was arrested at the scene of the killing in Leigh-on-sea, east of London, last Friday, also faces a separate charge of preparing acts of terrorism.
He appeared in court in central London wearing a grey tracksuit and thickrimmed glasses, speaking only to confirm his name, age and address at the 13-minute hearing.
Ali, from north London, was remanded in custody until an administrative hearing at the Central Criminal Court, the Old Bailey, on Friday.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and London’s Metropolitan Police announced charges against Ali earlier on Thursday.
Nick Price, head of the CPS special crime and counter-terrorism unit, said lawyers would submit that
Amess’ killing “has a terrorist connection, namely that it had both religious and ideological motivations”.
Amess, a 69-year-old father-of-five, was killed as he met constituents at a church hall, in the second such death of a British MP in the last five years.
The veteran Conservative MP’S death sparked an outpouring of tributes from his parliamentary colleagues, but also calls for better security for elected representatives. Labour MP Jo Cox was killed as she met constituents near Leeds, northern England, in the febrile run-up to the Brexit referendum in June 2016.
Home Secretary Priti Patel on Wednesday evening said intelligence officers had upgraded the threat level for politicians to “substantial”.
But she said there was no “specific or imminent threat”.
Shocked colleagues held a minute’s silence in parliament for Amess on Monday. Patel, a friend of the respected MP,
said his killing was “an attack on our democracy”.