Fatal stabbing of British lawmaker David Amess declared a terrorist incident by police

London's Metropolitan Police Department has declared the fatal stabbing of British lawmaker David Amess a terrorist incident. Amess died earlier Friday after he was stabbed multiple times while meeting with constituents in southern England. 

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dean Haydon, who is also the Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, formally declared the incident as terrorism, the police department said in a statement. The department also said a preliminary investigation "has revealed a potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism." 

At approximately noon local time, Essex police responded to reports that someone had been stabbed. The victim, who has been identified as Amess, died of his injuries on the scene, police said.