MP murdered

[Gob]

Sir David Amess: MP murder suspect held under Terrorism Act



The day started out much like every other Friday morning for Sir David Amess. One of Essex's most longstanding MPs, he held meetings with his Southend constituents every second week, in recent years varying the location to meet more of the local residents that relied upon his help.

This week he was at the Belfairs Methodist Church in his home town of Leigh-on-Sea. He tweeted on Tuesday about the upcoming event inviting constituents to join him.

Sir David was known for being passionate about his job - and constituents and colleagues spoke of his boundless enthusiasm for his role. These constituency surgeries were at the heart of his political life.

Just 15 minutes before the attack, the 69-year-old father of five was spotted standing on the church steps, chatting and laughing with locals.

At around 12.05pm, accompanied by two female members of his staff and nearing the end of the drop-in event, Sir David entered the church to meet some more constituents, where he may have noticed the inscription: "All are welcome here: where old friends meet and strangers feel at home."

Local councillor John Lamb said that it was at this point that the attacker emerged from a small group of waiting constituents and attacked Mr Amess, stabbing him several times.

"I'm told that when he went in for his surgery there were people waiting to see him, and one of them literally got a knife out and just began stabbing him," Mr Lamb said.

Lee Jordison, who works at the nearby Hicks Butchers, told the PA news agency: "We could see a police cordon set up... (someone outside) told me a woman had come out screaming on the phone, saying 'someone's been stabbed, please get here soon', he's not breathing'."

Police arrived on the scene shortly after the stabbing, and arrested a 25-year-old man and recovered the knife used in the attack. At 1.50pm, Essex police confirmed that the man had been arrested in connection with the stabbing.

One witness, electrician Anthony Fitch, told Sky News that he had witnessed the man being led from the church and being put in the back of a police car.

"We arrived to do some work on the adjacent building... and at the point when I was crossing the road I saw an upset lady on the phone saying 'you need to arrive quickly, he's still in the building,'" he said.

"There were loads of armed police, overhead there was an air ambulance as well as a police helicopter. Obviously wondered what the hell was going on, you don't often see armed police around the local area.

"I saw the suspect get put into a police van, get taken away and then they cordoned the whole road and pushed us all down the road."


The man arrested by police following the killing of the MP Sir David Amess has been named as Ali Harbi Ali.

The 25-year-old is being held under the Terrorism Act and officers have until Friday to question him.

The BBC understands Mr Ali was referred to the counter-terrorist Prevent scheme some years ago, but was never a formal subject of interest to MI5.

Whitehall officials told the BBC that the man being held was Ali Harbi Ali, a British man of Somali heritage.

Police said a man, who was held on suspicion of the MP's murder in Essex on Friday, was now being held at London police station after being rearrested under the Terrorism Act.

Early investigations revealed a potential motivation linked to Islamic extremism, police said on Friday.

Officials do not believe anyone else was involved in the attack.

Sir David, who had been a Conservative MP since 1983 and represented the Southend West constituency, was stabbed multiple times as he held a regular Friday meeting with constituents at Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea.

It is thought Mr Ali did not spend long in the Prevent programme - which aims to stop people becoming radicalised.

Teachers, members of the public, the NHS and others can refer individuals to a local panel of police, social workers and other experts who decide whether and how to intervene in their lives.

Engagement in the scheme is voluntary and it is not a criminal sanction.

[liberty]

Is this MP one of those ignorant Brexit-supporting racists that Shit Head wanted dead.?

[Gob]

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced the Queen has agreed Southend will be granted city status following the killing of MP Sir David Amess.



Sir David was stabbed to death at Belfairs Methodist Church on Friday.

He regularly championed Southend's case to be a city during his time in Parliament.

Mr Johnson told the House of Commons he was "happy" to announce Southend "will be accorded the city status it so clearly deserves".

The prime minister said: "That Sir David spent almost 40 years in this House, but not one day in ministerial office, tells everything about where his priorities lay."

He added Sir David "never once witnessed any achievement by any resident of Southend that could not somehow be cited in his bid to secure city status for that distinguished town".

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer told Parliament he was "so pleased" by the announcement.

Sir Keir said the news was "a fitting tribute to Sir David's hard work".


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-n ... e-58956615

[MajGenl.Meade]

They never should have eliminated the cathedral requirement

[Big RR]

I may regret this, but "cathedral requirement"?

[Gob]

The definition of a city in the UK used to stipulate that the designated town or village had a cathedral. See St Davids in Pembrokeshire, for an extreme example.

The status does not apply automatically on the basis of any particular criterion, though in England and Wales it was traditionally given to towns with diocesan cathedrals. This association between having a cathedral and being called a city was established in the early 1540s when King Henry VIII founded dioceses (each having a cathedral in the see city) in six English towns and granted them city status by issuing letters patent.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_stat ... ed_Kingdom

[MajGenl.Meade]

Closest Southend ever got to a holy structure:



I remember it well from the 50s Oooooh I think that's mum and dad over there!

[Big RR]

Thanks both.

[ex-khobar Andy]

The prime minister said: "That Sir David spent almost 40 years in this House, but not one day in ministerial office, tells everything about where his priorities lay."

Although a Tory and a Brexit supporter, he appears to have been one of those who concentrated on serving his constituents with no ambitions for higher office as a minister of whatever. A throwback to the good old days when we could disagree with someone but respect their integrity.

[BoSoxGal]

I find it very troubling that the UK of all places has suffered two political assassinations in the space of the last 5 years.

[MajGenl.Meade]

. . . and the wrong two, at that

Now now, I don't mean it

[Gob]

We should arm our MPs.

[Big RR]

We do in the army.

[Gob]

[rubato]

The definition of a city in the UK used to stipulate that the designated town or village had a cathedral. See St Davids in Pembrokeshire, for an extreme example.

The status does not apply automatically on the basis of any particular criterion, though in England and Wales it was traditionally given to towns with diocesan cathedrals. This association between having a cathedral and being called a city was established in the early 1540s when King Henry VIII founded dioceses (each having a cathedral in the see city) in six English towns and granted them city status by issuing letters patent.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_stat ... ed_Kingdom

I didn't know you were such a slavish popist. Good to know.

yrs,
rubato

[rubato]

About the assassination; it is just shocking. Horrible. I know you milquetoasts dont have the death penalty but you could at least cut off an arm. Two ears? Balls?

yrs,
rubato

[Big RR]

Sure rubato; we have the death penalty and look how good it's worked in stopping murders or assassinations.

And as for the papacy, the acts cited by gob were after the split of the the Church of England from the RC church. These were Anglican cathedrals.

[Gob]

Oh don't BigRR. It's like playing a pigeon at chess engaging with him.

“Never play chess with a pigeon. The pigeon will just knock all the pieces over, then shit all over the board and strut around like it won.”

[Big RR]

Usually true, but we can hope.

[Gob]