The suspect charged with the murder of British MP David Amess, considered by the police as a terrorist act, will be tried in March, a judge announced Friday (October 22nd).
Indicted Thursday for murder and preparation for terrorist acts, Ali Harbi Ali, 25, appeared by video conference in the Old Bailey Criminal Court in London.
Judge Nigel Sweeney has set the next pre-trial hearing for November 5 and the tentative date for the start of the trial for March 7.
Read alsoThe murder of British MP David Amess described as a terrorist act
David Amess, a 69-year-old Tory MP and father of five, was stabbed to death on October 15 while talking to his constituents at a Methodist church in Leigh-on-Sea, about 37 miles away. east London.
Her death shocked the country, recalling the trauma of the assassination of Labor MP Jo Cox in June 2016 by a right-wing extremist.
"Both religious and ideological motivations"
Arrested on the spot, the suspect was born and raised in London in a family of Somali origin.
He had, according to British media, briefly followed a program to fight radicalization, without being considered at risk by the security services.
The police cited "
a potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism
", while the prosecution spoke of "
both religious and ideological motivations
".
The UK has seen several jihadist knife attacks in recent years, some claimed by the Islamic State group.
No claims have been made public since the death of David Amess.