Murder of David Amess
On 15 October 2021, Sir David Amess, a British Conservative Party politician and Member of Parliament (MP) for Southend West, was assassinated by a 25-year-old Ali Harbi Ali in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex.
| Killing of David Amess | |
|---|---|
 Belfairs Methodist Church, the site of the attack | |
| Location | Belfairs Methodist Church, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, England |
| Coordinates | 51°33′36″N 0°39′03″E / 51.5599°N 0.6508°E |
| Date | 15 October 2021 c. 12:05 BST (UTC+1) |
Attack type | Assassination by stabbing |
| Weapons | Knife |
| Deaths | Amess |
| Victim | David Amess |
| Perpetrator | Ali Harbi Ali |
The incident was the first killing of a sitting British MP since the murder of Jo Cox in June 2016.
Background
changeDavid Amess was a British Conservative politician, between 1983 and 1997. He was the member of the House of Commons for Basildon and from 1997 until his death. He was also a member of the House of Commons for Southend West.
Amess was a strong supporter of Brexit.
Assassination
changeOn 15 October 2021, Amess was at a constituency surgery at Belfairs Methodist Church on Eastwood Road North, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. He was scheduled to meet with people from 10:00 to 13:00 BST.[1][2][3] He first met with citizens on the steps of the church and entered the building at around 12:05 to speak with people who had arrived earlier. Inside the church, a man holding a knife broke out from the group and stabbed him multiple times.[4][5]
An air ambulance landed on a playing field to take Amess to hospital; however his condition was critical where he was dead on arrival.[6]
Motive
changeAt around 00:30 on 16 October, police said the stabbing was a terrorist incident. They said it was caused by Islamic extremism.[7][8]
Suspect
changeAli Harbi Ali, a 25-year-old British citizen of Somali ethnicity who lives in London, was arrested by police at the scene.[9][10] On 21 October 2021, Ali was charged with murder and attempt terrorism.[11]
Reactions
changeThe UK terror threat level was raised from substantial to severe after this attack and the Liverpool Women's Hospital bombing.[12]
References
change- ↑ Walker, Peter; Dodd, Vikram (15 October 2021). "Conservative MP David Amess stabbed in Essex attack". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
- ↑ Emes, Toby (15 October 2021). "Police presence near Belfairs Methodist Church, Leigh". Echo News. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
- ↑ Smith, Alexander; Arisekola, Segilola (15 October 2021). "U.K. lawmaker stabbed to death while meeting with voters; incident declared terrorism". NBC News. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
- ↑ Murphy, Matt; Casciani, Dominic (15 October 2021). "Sir David Amess: How a tragic day unfolded". BBC News. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
- ↑ McGuinness, Alan (15 October 2021). "Conservative MP Sir David Amess stabbed multiple times in incident at constituency surgery". Sky News. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
- ↑ "Sir David Amess stabbing: What we know so far". BBC News. 15 October 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
- ↑ Specia, Megan; Landler, Mark; Castle, Stephen (15 October 2021). "Longtime U.K. Lawmaker Stabbed to Death in Attack Labeled Terrorism". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
- ↑ Faulkner, Doug (15 October 2021). "Sir David Amess killing was terrorist incident, say police". BBC News. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
- ↑ Robertson, Nic; Picheta, Rob; Shelley, Jo (15 October 2021). "Fatal stabbing of British lawmaker David Amess called terrorist incident by UK police". CNN. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
- ↑ "Sir David Amess: Latest after Conservative MP killed in stabbing attack". BBC News. 15 October 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
- ↑ Sir David Amess: Ali Harbi Ali charged with murder of MP
- ↑ Horsburgh, Lynette (15 November 2021). "Liverpool Women's Hospital explosion: terror level raised from 'substantial' to 'severe'". BBC News. Retrieved 20 February 2024.