Fatal stabbing of U.K. lawmaker declared terrorist incident by police
CBC
Police in England say the fatal stabbing of a long-serving member of Parliament during a meeting with constituents at a church on Friday has been declared a terrorist incident.
A 25-year-old man was arrested in connection with the attack on Conservative lawmaker David Amess, which united Britain's fractious politicians in shock and sorrow.
Counterterrorism officers were leading the investigation into the slaying. In a statement early Saturday, the Metropolitan Police described the attack as terrorism and said the early investigation "has revealed a potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism."
Amess, 69, was attacked around midday Friday at a Methodist church in Leigh-on-Sea, a town about 62 kilometres east of London. Paramedics tried without success to save him. Police arrested the suspect and recovered a knife.
They did not identify the suspect, who was held on suspicion of murder. Police said they believed the suspect acted alone, and were not seeking anyone else in connection with the killing, though investigations continue.
The attack came five years after another MP, Jo Cox, was killed by a far-right extremist in her small-town constituency, and it renewed concern about the risks politicians run as they go about their work representing voters. British politicians generally are not given police protection when they meet with their constituents.
Following the fatal stabbing on Friday, tributes poured in for Amess from across the political spectrum and from the community he had served for decades. Residents paid tribute to him at a vigil at a church in Leigh-on-Sea.