Killing of British MP deemed terrorism

LONDON－London's Metropolitan Police have declared as terrorism the stabbing death of the MP David Amess. Amess, a member of the ruling Conservative Party, died after being stabbed at a constituency meeting in Essex, southeastern England, on Friday.

The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, paid tribute to Amess, 69, describing him as one of the kindest, nicest, most gentle people in politics. As tributes poured in from others, the Metropolitan Police's counterterrorism unit said the crime was an act of terrorism.

"The early investigation has revealed a potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism," the unit said.

A man aged 25 was arrested at the scene of the crime and questioned by detectives. He is in police custody in Essex. The BBC said it had received confirmation from Whitehall officials that the man's name is Ali Harbi Ali.

As part of the investigation, police said, they were carrying out searches at two addresses in London. It is believed the suspect acted alone, they said.

Flags flew at half-mast at 10 Downing Street and at the Houses of Parliament, in which Amess served as MP for Southend West.

Authorities were now considering more safety measures for parliamentarians, the Interior Minister, Priti Patel, told Sky News on Sunday.

Police said detectives have until this Friday to question the man being held, given that he was detained under the Terrorism Act, allowing them to extend his detention.

Police said they were investigating "a potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism".

Ali, a British citizen of Somali heritage, had been referred to Prevent, the UK's scheme for those thought at risk of radicalization, a few years ago, the BBC reported.

Ali is believed not to have spent long on the program, which is voluntary, and was never formally a "subject of interest" to MI5, the domestic security agency, the BBC said.

Amess was the second MP in Britain to be killed violently in five years. The Yorkshire MP Jo Cox was murdered by a far-right extremist in 2016.

The latest killing has reopened a debate about the safety of politicians as they conduct meetings with their constituents.

Many MPs insist on face-to-face meetings with constituents to discuss their problems and issues, known as a surgery, which is one of the hallmarks of political life in Britain.

"In the coming days we will need to discuss and examine MPs' security and any measures to be taken," the Speaker of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle, said.

He was shocked and deeply distressed by the killing, he said. "This is an incident that will send shock waves across the parliamentary community and the whole country."

Patel has told the country's police forces to review security arrangements for MPs with immediate effect.

Politicians were expected to return to the House of Commons on Monday following a recess, and the killing of one of their own was expected to dominate proceedings in the chamber.

Xinhua - Agencies