British lawmaker David Amess was killed Friday, Oct. 15 after being stabbed multiple times while meeting with constituents in a church building in his home district about an hour’s drive from London. He represented Southend West in Essex and was a member of the Conservative Party. He died at the scene of the assault despite treatment.
Police arrested a 25-year-old man and recovered a knife from the scene. The police did not offer a motive nor did they reveal the suspect’s identity. They believe the man acted alone. However, the next morning, the counterterrorism division of the London Metropolitan Police declared the event to be an act of terrorism. They put out a statement saying that a potential motivation is linked to Islamic extremism and that officers are currently searching two London addresses as part of the investigation.
Amess is the second British politician since 2016 to be murdered while meeting with constituents. In addition, other lawmakers have faced verbal abuse and harassment while entering and exiting the Palace of Westminster and others have even been physically attacked. Between 2010 and 2016 there were nearly 700 crimes against British lawmakers, the vast majority being online abuse, had been reported to the police. These incidents along with Amess’s murder have spurred a conversation about whether members of Parliament need extra security to protect them from the public, especially since they frequently interact with their constituents at public places such as sporting events, pubs and school functions. For example, Labour Party member Chris Byrant has suggested meeting with constituents by appointment only.
Similarly, in 2016 Labour Party member Jo Cox was killed after being shot and stabbed while on her way to meet with constituents by white supremacist and neo-Nazi Thomas Alexander Mair, who was sentenced to life in prison for the attack.
Fellow British politicians and leaders, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, condemned the attack and fondly remembered Amess as being kind-hearted and generous. Johnson paid tribute to Amess Saturday by laying flowers outside of Belfairs Methodist Church, the church building where Amess was killed.
Shortly after Amess’s murder, the British government ordered a review of the security measures for members of Parliament. The Houses of Parliament are secured with armed police, video surveillance and security scanners while lawmakers are allowed panic buttons and extra lighting in their homes and offices, which began after Cox’s murder. However, this protection does not extend out to lawmakers meeting with constituents in public. While around-the-clock protection is rare for anyone outside of the top-level politicians, extra security may be necessary if lawmakers want to continue the British tradition of publicly meeting with voters.
Late at night on Saturday, Oct. 16, several British media outlets named the man arrested on suspicion of Amess’s murder as Ali Harbi Ali, describing him as a British national of possible Somali descent. That same evening, police revealed that a warrant of further detention had been issued, meaning that detectives have until Friday, Oct. 22 to question Ali about his ties to terrorism.
Authorities said that Ali was not on any terrorist watch list and that no group has come forth to claim responsibility for the attack.
