‘MP assassinated by radicalised Islamic terrorist’

A ‘committed and radicalised Islamic terrorist’ assassinated Conservative MP Sir David Amess after carrying out a reconnaissance trip to Michael Gove’s home, a court heard today (mon).

Ali Harbi Ali, 26, allegedly stabbed Sir David to death at a constituency surgery at Belfairs Methodist Church in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex on 15 October last year.

The Southend West MP suffered multiple stab wounds and was pronounced dead at 1:10pm.

Ali denies murder and preparing for terrorist acts between 1 May 2019 and 28 September last year.

He appeared in court today wearing a loose black shirt.

Prosecutor Tom Little QC said: ‘This is a case involving a cold and calculated murder.

‘A murder carried out in a place of worship.

‘A murder carried out because of a warped and twisted and violent ideology.

‘It was a murder carried out by a young man who for many years had been planning just such an attack and who was, and is, a committed, fanatical, radicalised Islamist terrorist.

‘The man that was murdered was a man who was simply doing his job helping members of the public – a job he loved, a job he enjoyed, a job that he had been doing for many years and a job that he was very good at – and that job was serving the public.

‘That job was being a Member of Parliament.

‘The man that was brutally murdered by this defendant was Sir David Amess MP.

‘He had been a member of Parliament for many years.

‘At the very time that he was attacked by this defendant he was meeting his own constituents.

‘The defendant tricked his way into meeting Sir David Amess by pretending to be one of those constituents but he was not.

‘Having arranged the meeting by fraud he travelled across London armed with the very knife that he was to use to murder Sir David Amess.

‘This was therefore we say nothing less than an assassination for terrorist purposes. And it is a crime to which, we say, he has no defence.

‘This was no spur of the moment decision.

‘It was not the first time that he had planned an attack or a similar attack to this.

‘Indeed he bought the knife that he used five years before for just such an attack.

‘I told you that he was and is a committed terrorist.

‘He had for a number of years as the evidence reveals been determined to carry out an act of domestic terrorism.

‘To that end, from at least May 2019 he researched and planned potential attacks on Members of Parliament and the Houses of Parliament itself.

‘This included specific reconnaissance trips to a constituency surgery of Mike Freer MP and to the home address of Michael Gove MP.

‘That researching and planning is the other offence that he faces. And that other charge is preparing for acts of terrorism.

‘To that offence he also has, we say, no defence.’

Ali, of Lady Somerset Road, Kentish Town, denies murder and engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts, contrary to Section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006.

The second charge alleges he engaged in reconnaissance of locations of targets to attack including addressed associated with members of Parliament and the Houses of Parliament; engaged in internet searches relating to the targets of attack.

The trial continues.
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