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United Kingdom: prayers and tributes to Parliament in memory of slain MP

2021-10-18T09:53:01.848Z


A minute of silence will be observed this Monday in the House of Commons, where David Amess has been sitting since 1983. The deputies will then be in


After the shock, meditation.

British MPs will pay tribute on Monday to one of their own, David Amess, fatally stabbed during a parliamentary duty, in what the police consider to be a terrorist act potentially linked to Islamism.

David Amess, 69-year-old Conservative MP and father of five, was stabbed to death on Friday while talking to his constituents at a Methodist church in Leigh-on-Sea, about 60 km to the east London.

A 25-year-old suspect, who according to British media had followed an anti-radicalization program, was arrested on the spot.

This tragedy has shaken the country, recalling the trauma of the assassination of Labor MP Jo Cox, in June 2016, by a right-wing extremist and prompting calls to strengthen the security of elected officials.

Minute of silence and speech

On Monday afternoon, prayers will be said and a minute's silence observed in memory of David Amess in the House of Commons, where he has sat since 1983. Members will then be able to take the floor to pay tribute to him.

After these tributes are over, a procession led by Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle will head to St Margaret's Church, next to Westminster Abbey, for a mass which will begin at 6 p.m. local time. ).

"It will be very hard today," tweeted Labor MP Jess Phillips, who said it reminded her of her return to Parliament after the death of Jo Cox: "I was trying to hide my tears on the train".

Thinking especially of Conservative colleagues as I travel to Westminster.

I remember train journey heading to parliament when recalled after Jo was killed.

Trying to hide my tears on the train still in disbelief at the events I was traveling to attend.

Today will be very hard.

- Jess Phillips MP (@jessphillips) October 18, 2021

David Amess' family explained that they could not "understand why this horrible thing happened".

“No one should die this way.

Nobody, ”she said in a statement sent by police on Sunday.

Describing David Amess as a 'man of peace', his family called for 'putting aside hatred and working for unity'.

The protection of elected officials in question

The first elements of the investigation, entrusted to the anti-terrorism department, reveal "a potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism", according to the police.

The man arrested at the scene of the tragedy is a British national of Somali origin named Ali Harbi Ali, according to the BBC.

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 "traumatized".

According to one of his friends quoted by the tabloid The Sun, the suspect "has become completely radicalized on the Internet" and admired the preacher Anjem Choudary, a figure of the radical Islamist movement in London.

“He admired Anjem, said he was right and his cause was right.

It disgusted me.

We were all very, very worried, ”said this friend.

VIDEO.

England "in shock" after deadly terror attack on MP David Amess

Investigators have until Friday to question him, after having placed him in detention, under the terrorism law.

Among the avenues being considered, investigators are examining David Amess's ties to the state of Qatar, according to the Times, citing sources explaining that the "clear reason why he was targeted has not been established."

The MP was chairman of the cross-party parliamentary group on UK-Qatar relations and his last visit to the country was this month, according to images posted on the group's Twitter page.

Other media like The Telegraph claim that he was targeted at random and that the suspect in his murder had considered killing other MPs.

The diary says he was seen using his phone after the drama, possibly to record a message or chat with someone.

In addition to the question of motivations, this murder called into question the security arrangements surrounding the deputies.

Interior Minister Priti Patel has promised to "fill in the gaps", considering providing police protection, on a case-by-case basis, to MPs.

But the Minister of Justice Dominic Raab warned on Monday against the risk of creating a "gap" between the population and its elected officials if they can no longer freely receive their citizens.

The minister also denounced the level of insults and threats online against elected officials, saying he had become "out of control".

Source: leparis

All tech articles on 2021-10-18

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