Man in court accused of MP’s murder
A25-YEAR-OLD man has been remanded in custody after appearing in court charged with the terrorism-related murder of MP Sir David Amess.
Ali Harbi Ali, from London, has been charged with murder and preparing acts of terrorism, the Crown Prosecution Service said yesterday.
The Conservative MP for Southend West was fatally stabbed last Friday during a constituency surgery in Leighon-Sea in Essex.
Ali wore a grey tracksuit and thickrimmed black glasses and smiled to his legal team as he entered the court.
He then sat silently throughout the hearing, only speaking to confirm his name, age, and address.
The hearing lasted for just over 13 minutes.
Earlier, Nick Price, of the CPS, said: “We will submit to the court that this murder has a terrorist connection, namely that it had both religious and ideological motivations.”
And Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Matt Jukes said: “Today’s charge is a significant milestone in the case, but the work from my colleagues in the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command will continue apace.”
Speaking outside New Scotland Yard, Mr Jukes added: “A large team of detectives have been working around the clock to find out as much as we can about what happened and why.
“That work has included searches at a number of London addresses.
“Our advanced forensics team analysed digital devices and carried out a painstaking review of CCTV footage.
“If there are members of the public who have further information that might help the investigation, I would urge them to come forward.
“Every piece of information in investigations like these is important and you will not be wasting our time.”
On Monday, Parliament paid tribute to Sir David as it was announced that Southend would be granted city status, in recognition of his decades-long campaign for the seaside town to be given the honour.
His death has revived a debate on MPs’ safety as they go about their work, with Home Secretary Priti Patel telling the House of Commons on Wednesday that intelligence officers had upgraded the threat level for politicians to “substantial” but there was no “specific or imminent threat”.
Mr Jukes also confirmed security arrangements at Parliament remained under review.
He said: “We’ve been working closely with Parliament’s own security team and with the Home Office to review existing arrangements for MPs’ security, and that work will continue.
“Police forces across the country have been working with individual MPs to review their specific arrangements.”