Murder of David Amess

Killing of David Amess
Belfairs Methodist Church, the site of the attack
LocationBelfairs Methodist Church, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, England
Coordinates51°33′36″N 0°39′03″E / 51.5599°N 0.6508°E / 51.5599; 0.6508
Date15 October 2021 (2021-10-15)
c. 12:05 BST (UTC+1)
Attack type
Assassination by stabbing
WeaponsKnife
DeathsAmess
VictimDavid Amess
PerpetratorAli Harbi Ali

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.

The incident was the first killing of a sitting British MP since the murder of Jo Cox in June 2016.

Background

David 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

On 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. 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.

An air ambulance landed on a playing field to take Amess to hospital; however his condition was critical where he was dead on arrival.

Motive

At around 00:30 on 16 October, police said the stabbing was a terrorist incident. They said it was caused by Islamic extremism.

Suspect

Ali Harbi Ali, a 25-year-old British citizen of Somali ethnicity who lives in London, was arrested by police at the scene. On 21 October 2021, Ali was charged with murder and attempt terrorism.

Reactions

The UK terror threat level was raised from substantial to severe after this attack and the Liverpool Women's Hospital bombing.

References

  1. ↑ Walker, Peter; Dodd, Vikram (15 October 2021). "Conservative MP David Amess stabbed in Essex attack". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  2. ↑ Emes, Toby (15 October 2021). "Police presence near Belfairs Methodist Church, Leigh". Echo News. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. ↑ Murphy, Matt; Casciani, Dominic (15 October 2021). "Sir David Amess: How a tragic day unfolded". BBC News. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  5. ↑ McGuinness, Alan (15 October 2021). "Conservative MP Sir David Amess stabbed multiple times in incident at constituency surgery". Sky News. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  6. ↑ "Sir David Amess stabbing: What we know so far". BBC News. 15 October 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ Faulkner, Doug (15 October 2021). "Sir David Amess killing was terrorist incident, say police". BBC News. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  9. ↑ 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.
  10. ↑ "Sir David Amess: Latest after Conservative MP killed in stabbing attack". BBC News. 15 October 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  11. ↑ Sir David Amess: Ali Harbi Ali charged with murder of MP
  12. ↑ Horsburgh, Lynette (15 November 2021). "Liverpool Women's Hospital explosion: terror level raised from 'substantial' to 'severe'". BBC News. Retrieved 20 February 2024.