U.K. lawmaker stabbed to death during meeting
LEIGH-ON-SEA, ENGLAND — A long-serving member of Parliament was stabbed to death Friday during a meeting with constituents at a church in England, an attack that united Britain’s fractious politicians in shock and sorrow. A 25-year-old man was arrested at the scene.
Police said that counterterrorism officers were leading the investigation into the slaying of Conservative lawmaker David Amess but that they had not yet determined whether it was a terrorist attack. They did not identify the suspect, who was held on suspicion of murder.
“The investigation is in its very early stages,” Essex Police Chief Constable Ben-julian Harrington said.
The slaying came five years after another MP, Jo Cox, was murdered by an extremist, and it renewed concern about the risks politicians run as they go about their work representing voters. British politicians generally are not given police protection when they meet with their constituents.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he and his Cabinet were “deeply shocked and heart-stricken.”
“David was a man who believed passionately in this country and in its future, and we’ve lost today a fine public servant and a muchloved friend and colleague,” Johnson said.
The prime minister would not say if the attack meant politicians needed tighter security, saying, “We must really leave the police to get on with their investigation.”
Amess, 69, was attacked around midday at a Methodist church in the town of Leigh-on-sea, about 40 miles east of London. Paramedics tried without success to save him. Police arrested the suspect and recovered a knife.
“We are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident and do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the wider public,” police said.
Amess had been a member of Parliament for Southend West, which includes Leighon-sea, since 1997, and had been a lawmaker since 1983, making him one of the longest-serving politicians in the House of Commons.
A social conservative on the right of his party, he was a well-liked figure with a reputation for working hard for his constituents and campaigning ceaselessly to have Southend declared a city.
He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2015 for his service, becoming Sir David.