Man charged with murder of British MP David Amess appears in London court

Ali Harbi Ali, 25, was arrested at the scene of the killing in Leigh-on-Sea on Friday. He also faces a separate charge of preparing acts of terrorism

The Conservative MP’s murder has increased calls for better security for elected representatives

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Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations, Matt Jukes updates the media on the investigation into the murder of Conservative Party lawmaker David Amess, after Ali Harbi Ali was charged with murder. Photo: AFP

Published: 11:11pm, 21 Oct 2021Updated: 11:11pm, 21 Oct 2021

A 25-year-old man appeared in court on Thursday after being charged with the murder of British MP David Amess, who was stabbed to death last week in what lawyers said was an attack with a “terrorist connection”.

Ali Harbi Ali, who was arrested at the scene of the killing in Leigh-on-Sea, east of London, last Friday, also faces a separate charge of preparing acts of terrorism.

He appeared in court in central London wearing a grey tracksuit and thick-rimmed glasses, speaking only to confirm his name, age and address at the 13-minute hearing.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and London’s Metropolitan Police announced charges against Ali earlier on Thursday.

Nick Price, head of the CPS special crime and counterterrorism unit, said lawyers would submit that Amess’ killing “has a terrorist connection, namely that it had both religious and ideological motivations”.

Amess, a 69-year-old father-of-five, was killed as he met constituents at a church hall, in the second such death of a British MP in the last five years.