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
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.[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
At 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
Ali 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
The UK terror threat level was raised from substantial to severe after this attack and the Liverpool Women's Hospital bombing.[12]
