Murder motive probed as family call for tolerance
BRITISH MPs on Monday (18) fell silent in sombre tribute to Sir David Amess, who was stabbed to death while meeting constituents, as police probed whether a suspect arrested was motivated by Islamist extremism.
MPs packed the Commons and stood with heads bowed for a minute’s silence in memory of the Tory politician, who was killed in a church hall last Friday (15).
“May the bright memory of his rich life ever outshine the tragic manner of his death,” chaplain Tricia Hillas said in a prayer.
The home secretary, Priti Patel, called the death of the well-respected Amess a “terrible and sad moment in our history, an attack on our democracy and an appalling tragedy”.
Earlier, Amess’ widow Julia and other members of his family visited the scene of the attack in Leigh-on-Sea, east of London.
Last Sunday (17), his family said they were “absolutely broken” by his death and made a plea for tolerance.
“Set aside hatred and work towards togetherness. Whatever one’s race, religious or political beliefs, be tolerant and try to understand,” they added.
Detectives called the killing a terrorist incident and said they were investigating “a potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism”. Counter-terror officers from London’s Metropolitan police are leading the probe.
Police have until Friday (22) to detain and question a 25-year-old man, who was arrested at the scene of the stabbing. British media, citing unnamed official sources, have identified the suspect as
Ali Harbi Ali, a British national of Somali descent.
Before the attack, the suspect had reportedly been referred to Prevent, the official counter-terrorist scheme for those thought to be at risk of radicalisation.
His father is a former prime ministerial adviser in Somalia, his uncle is the East African country’s ambassador to China, while his aunt runs a security thinktank in the war-ravaged capital Mogadishu, the reports added.
The Times said on Monday that police were examining the close
ties between Amess and Qatar, given the MP was chairman of a parliamentary group on the Gulf state and returned from his latest visit there earlier this month.
However, other newspapers reported Amess was not specifically targeted but picked randomly as part of a plot to kill any national politician, after the suspect was allegedly self-radicalised at home during pandemic lockdowns.