Suspect told constituency office he wanted to discuss healthcare

Ali alleged to have tricked MP’S staff into giving him appointment by saying he was moving to the area

THE man suspected of murdering Sir David Amess tricked his constituency office into giving him an appointment by falsely claiming he wanted to discuss healthcare, it was claimed last night.

Ali Harbi Ali, 25, allegedly lied to staff by also claiming he was moving to the area. Mr Ali, who lived in Kentish Town in north London, travelled to Leigh-onSea by train to carry out what is now being seen as a deliberate attack on the British state.

Security services and counter-terrorism police are trawling through Mr Ali’s phone, computer and contacts but do not currently believe the killing was part of a wider plot. In attacks in London, for example, jihadists have gone on the rampage, killing indiscriminately before, in many cases, being shot dead by police as part of a martyrdom ritual.

But in this case, it is claimed that Mr Ali calmly used his mobile phone – either to make a call or send text messages – before waiting to be arrested.

“There will be a lot of concern as to whether this incident is part of a wider messaging,” one security source said.

Sources have disclosed to The Daily Telegraph that Sir David was “unlucky” and that Mr Ali had decided to kill an MP before selecting his target.

Sir David advertised his constituency surgeries on Twitter, including the one held last Friday at Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-sea. It is unclear whether Mr Ali made the booking before or after the location of the surgery was posted on social media.

One source said last night: “A week before the murder, Ali contacted Sir David’s constituency office to make an appointment to see him during his Friday surgery. Although the sessions are reserved for constituents, it is understood he told staff he was moving into the area imminently and had a number of issues relating to health care that he wished to discuss.”

Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, and Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker, met yesterday to discuss whether to change the security for MPS to ensure the safety of constituency meetings.

Details began to emerge last night of Mr Ali’s upbringing in Croydon in south London. He had been reported to Prevent, the Government’s counterextremism strategy, but remained under the radar and his name was never flagged to MI5. Sources said Mr Ali had no previous criminal record and no reported mental health issues either.

Despite coming from a Muslim family, Mr Ali, the eldest of four siblings, attended the Church of England’s Parish Church Infant and Junior School in Croydon, where he was remembered by staff as “friendly and polite”. He was a keen chess player and like his siblings, took part in the school’s Christian traditions. One teacher said: “When I realised who had been arrested, I thought, ‘What a waste.’ It unsettled me.

“The point of education is to help development and if something goes wrong, it is so hard to fathom why.”

At the age of 11, Mr Ali moved to Riddlesdown high school in Purley.

He stayed on at sixth form, where he completed A-levels before leaving in order to go to university. It is not clear if he took up any place offered.

Gordon Smith, the chief executive of Riddlesdown, said the school had been left “devastated” by events.

Neighbours in Croydon said Mr Ali left home around 2014, but remained a regular visitor to his mother’s house. His parents split up when he was still at primary school and his father spent much of his time in his native Somalia.

A woman who lived next door said: “We saw the police pull up on Friday, I did ask them [what was happening] but they wouldn’t say. It’s quite a shock. I feel sorry for the mother, to be honest.”

Last night, CCTV footage of the suspect walking in north London on the morning of the attack emerged.

The footage, obtained by Sky News, shows Mr Ali dressed in a green parka jacket, carrying a backpack over his right shoulder.

Police were last night continuing to question the suspect and currently have until Friday to charge him.

‘There will be a lot of concern as to whether this incident is part of a wider messaging’

‘When I realised who had been arrested, it unsettled me’