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UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson Visits Scene Where MP Was Fatally Killed
- UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson visits the scene where MP was fatally stabbed in a terrorist incident.
- David Amess, a UK lawmaker, dies after being stabbed
Ekohotblog reports that the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer paid a visit to the church where MP David Amess was tragically stabbed while meeting with constituents on Saturday, only hours after his death was deemed a terrorist act.
The assassination stunned the country and spurred calls for a reassessment of security precautions for politicians performing constituency work.
Lawmaker David Amess (Deceased)
Amess, 69, a member of Johnson’s ruling Conservative Party, died after being stabbed multiple times at Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea, England, about midday Friday.
A 25-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder and a knife was recovered, police said. He is believed to have acted alone.
“The early investigation has revealed a potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism,” the Metropolitan Police said in a statement overnight. Two addresses in the London area are being searched, the force said.
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The man arrested is believed to be a British national with Somali heritage, official sources have told UK news agency PA Media. The UK’s Counter Terrorism Command is leading the investigation into the killing, police said Friday.
Saturday morning, a somber Johnson carried a garland of pale roses to place in front of the church where Amess was attacked.
He and Starmer were accompanied by Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, whose government department is in charge of policing and counter-terrorism activities in the United Kingdom. Essex Police Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington and Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle both took flowers to the site.
Patel paid homage to Amess shortly afterward, describing him as a “man of the people” and a dedicated champion for the people he served.
“He was killed doing a job that he loved, serving his own constituents as an elected democratic member,” she said. “And of course, acts of this (kind) are absolutely wrong and we cannot let that get in the way of our functioning democracy.”
Patel said she had been in discussions with the Commons speaker, police and security services to “make sure measures are being put in place for the security of MPs, so that they can carry on with their duties as elected democratic members.”
MPs in Britain typically meet with residents in their constituencies face to face during “surgeries,” and it is uncommon for them to have a security detail.
Measures to safeguard MPs are always being looked at and have been under review in the past 24 hours, Patel said.
She insisted that the democratic need for parliamentarians to be accessible to the people “can absolutely be balanced” with the need to ensure their safety, and that lawmakers “cannot be cowed by any individual” as they serve.
Veteran UK Labour lawmaker Harriet Harman called Saturday for a Speaker’s Conference in Parliament to discuss and review the safety of MPs.
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“We cannot have the death of an MP being a price worth paying for our democracy,” Harman said on BBC Radio 4’s Today program. “I don’t think anybody wants to go to a situation where the police are vetting individual constituents who come and see us, but I’m sure there is a safer way to go about our business.”
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