Father of suspect in UK lawmaker’s slaying is ‘traumatized’

LONDON » The father of a man held for the fatal stabbing of a British lawmaker during a meeting with local voters has told British media that he was shocked and “traumatized” by his son’s arrest, as police continued questioning the suspect under terrorism laws.

Harbi Ali Kullane, a former adviser to Somalia’s prime minister, said British counter-terrorism police had visited him, according to the Sunday Times.

“I’m feeling very traumatized. It’s not something that I expected or even dreamed of,” he was quoted as saying.

British authorities have not released the name of the suspect in the killing of 69-year-old Conservative lawmaker David Amess Friday, but British media reported the suspect was Ali Harbi Ali, 25, believed to be a British citizen with Somali heritage.

Amess, a long-serving lawmaker, was stabbed multiple times during a regular meeting with his constituents at a church in Leigh-on-Sea, a town 40 miles (62 kilometers) east of London. The Metropolitan Police has described the attack as terrorism and said early investigations suggested “a potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism,” without giving details.

Police have been granted extra time to question the suspect, who was arrested on suspicion of murder but has not yet been charged. The BBC and others reported that the suspect was referred to a government program aimed at preventing people from supporting extremism some years ago, but said he was not a formal subject of interest for security services.

It is unclear what, if any, the suspect’s connection to Amess was and why he targeted the lawmaker. The meeting with voters was public and open to all.