The assailant who fatally stabbed British MP David Amess had been referred to the national anti-radicalization program, but had not been diligent, according to British media on Saturday.
Police said late Saturday that investigators have until Friday to interview the suspect, a 25-year-old man, after taking him into custody under the terrorism law, allowing them to extend his detention.
The investigation reveals according to the first elements "a potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism", according to the police, who said they were carrying out searches at three addresses in the London area as part of a "fast-paced investigation" .
The attacker acted alone and had "self-radicalized"
Tory MP David Amess, 69, father of 5, was receiving his constituents at a Methodist church in Leigh-on-Sea, about 37 miles east of London, when he was stabbed to death on Friday.
The man arrested is said to be a British national of Somali origin named Ali Harbi Ali, according to the BBC.
Oriented several years ago to the British program for people at risk of radicalization based on volunteering, according to the broadcaster, it would not have been very diligent and was never officially a "subject of interest" for the national security agency.
Police and security services believe the assailant acted alone and was "self-radicalized," according to the Sunday Times.
It could have been inspired by Al-Shabab, Islamists linked to Al-Qaeda in Somalia.
Ali Harbi Ali's father, Harbi Ali Kullane, a former adviser to the Somali Prime Minister, confirmed to the Sunday Times that his son was in detention and said he was "very traumatized".
Wave of shock and emotion
John Lamb, a local Conservative adviser, told British media outlets that the young man waited patiently for his turn before pouncing on the MP and repeatedly stabbing him in front of two MP's assistants. "I was told he stabbed Sir David and just waited in the church hall until the police arrived," Kevin Buck, vice president of the association, told The Telegraph. constituency. He had made an appointment a week in advance, according to the Daily Mail.
On Saturday evening, hundreds of people attended a candlelight vigil at a sports field near the scene of the crime, observing a minute of silence in memory of the MP.
As a sign of unity, Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson and opposition Labor leader Keir Starmer laid wreaths of flowers at the scene of the tragedy on Saturday morning.
Boris Johnson left a message hailing an "excellent parliamentarian and a much loved colleague and friend".
Many people, including members of the Muslim community, came to lay bouquets of flowers and written tributes to the victim.
This murder rekindles the still recent trauma of the assassination of Labor MP Jo Cox in June 2016. The 41-year-old was shot and stabbed several times by a right-wing extremist, Thomas Mair, 53, a week before the UK referendum on EU membership.