A regular Friday meeting with constituents at the Belfairs Methodist Church, in Leigh-on-Sea, in Essex turned into a tragedy when Sir David Amess was stabbed to death. The suspect, 25-year-old Ali Harbi Ali, lunged at Sir David as he met voters for one on one meetings and was arrested on the scene. His demeanour after the attack had bystanders stumped as Mr Ali sat down, used his phone and calmly waited on police to reach the scene. Due to this, the incident has been labelled a “terror incident” and is being met with an investigation by the counter-terrorism unit.
Sir David Amess, 69 years of age, is a devoted husband and father to five children. The Brexit supporter, a vocal champion for the Southend West, a campaigner on animal welfare issues and a prominent campaigner against abortion was a member of the Conservative Party. He is, unfortunately, not the only victim of hate or violence and is reported to be the second serving MP to be killed in the last five years following the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016. Now, Government officials are asking for police forces to review security arrangements while others are discussing a less intimate arrangement between politicians and constituents in order for these devastations to no longer occur.
Mr Ali, a British national of Somali heritage, was born in London and raised in Croydon. The son of a former adviser to past Somali prime minister was referred to the government program Prevent as an extremist but was never a “subject of interest” for military intelligence. This program is a UK terrorism-prevention program and attempts to deradicalize individuals who are seen as threats to the country and themselves. Mr Ali was reportedly a part of this legal program but was said to have not spent longer there.
Essentially, the attack has been linked to Islamist extremism, but it has not been clear as to why Sir David was the target of the attack. Ex-friends of Mr Ali have come forward with concerns of a particular Youtube channel turning their former friend into an extremist. This specific channel is owned by Anjem Choudry, also known as Abu Luqman, an Islamist hate preacher and convicted Isis supporter who was released from prison in October 2018 after being convicted of terrorism charges in 2016. Apart from the legal conditions was him not being able to speak publicly, however in July 2021, that ban was lifted and he took straight to social media immediately. Within weeks, accounts were suspended.
While Mr Ali was initially detained on suspicion of murder, he is now further detained under the Terrorism Act. By Saturday, a warrant by magistrates was granted to allow Mr Ali to stay in custody until Friday 22nd October. Police have searched properties in Kentish Town, North London and Croydon but the suspect is still being questioned and has not been charged.
Family and friends mourn the death of Sir David Amess, and Boris Johnson showed his shock and remorse for “one of the kindest” people in politics. He stated, “David was a man who believed passionately in this country and its future. We’ve lost today a fine public servant and a much-loved friend and colleague.”As a man who had an“outstanding record of passing laws to help the most vulnerable,” now boasts the question, when will the safety of the countries elected representatives be taken more seriously?