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A 25-year-old Briton is the main and only suspect in stabbing a Conservative lawmaker to death in a church while holding a meeting with his constituents last week. The authorities bring charges for “terrorist motives”.
The death of David Amess, a 69-year-old British MP who served four decades in Parliament, shocked the UK political sphere. The stabbing of the legislator, who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2015, begins to be clarified after the police identified the suspect and formally charged him.
The authorities indicate that Ali Harbi Ali, a 25-year-old Briton of Somali descent, is the perpetrator of the killing and was charged under the Terrorism Act.
“We will present to the court that this murder has a terrorist connection, which had both religious and ideological motivations,” said Nick Price, a member of the Crown Prosecution Service.
In addition, the accused will also be denounced for preparing terrorist acts.
With this stabbing, Harbi Ali raised important concerns among politicians regarding their safety, as they are accessible to their constituents and could be just as exposed as Amess.
Ali, the son of a former media adviser to a former prime minister of Somalia, will appear before Westminster magistrates court in London on Thursday afternoon.
Matt Jukes, London Police Assistant Commissioner for Special Operations, sent his condolences to the Amess family and urged prudence with the development of the case.
“I understand the enormous level of public interest in this case, but now that a charge has been filed, it is vitally important for everyone to exercise restraint when commenting publicly, to ensure that future court proceedings are not adversely affected in any way.” Jukes said.
This event comes five years after Labor Party MP Jo Cox was stabbed by a far-right fanatic. She was the first female legislator to be assassinated after the Northern Ireland peace agreement, 30 years ago.
With Reuters and EFE
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