y Reuters|Oct. 16, 2021, at 4:19 a.m.SaveMore
UK PM Johnson Visits Church Where Lawmaker Was Stabbed to DeathMore
Chief Constable of Essex Police B. J. Harrington, Britain’s Labour Party leader Keir Starmer and Prime Minister Boris Johnson hold flowers as they arrive at the scene where British MP David Amess was stabbed to death during a meeting with constituents at the Belfairs Methodist Church, in Leigh-on-Sea
LONDON, Oct 16 (NNN-AGENCIES) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday laid flowers at the church where a lawmaker was stabbed to death a day earlier, in what police say was a terrorist attack.
The attack on David Amess, from Johnson’s Conservative Party, comes five years after the murder of Jo Cox, a lawmaker from the opposition Labour Party, and has prompted a review of the security of elected politicians.
Amess, 69, was knifed repeatedly in the attack at about midday on Friday in Leigh-on-Sea, east of London, during a meeting with constituents.
Police arrested a 25-year-old British man at the scene on suspicion of murder, adding it is believed he acted alone.
In a statement early on Saturday, police said the early investigation had revealed a potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism.
Johnson, interior minister Priti Patel, and Labour Party leader Keir Starmer were among those to lay flowers in tribute to Amess at the scene of the murder.
Johnson and Starmer stood side by side in a moment of silence before leaving. On Friday, Johnson said Britain had lost a fine public servant and a much-loved friend and colleague.
As tributes poured in for Amess, politicians described the attack as an assault on democracy, and Patel said security for lawmakers, known as MPs, was being reviewed and strengthened.
“All measures are being put in place for the security of MPs so that they can carry on with their duties as elected democratic members,” Patel said in a broadcast clip following the visit.
“We will continue to absolutely stand by the principles that we are elected by: to serve our constituents in the open way in which we have been doing so, but also recognising that there are safety and protection measures that we have to undertake too,” Patel said. — NNN-AGENCIES
