The 26-year-old man accused of the murder of David Amess, the British MP stabbed to death on October 15, 2021, has been found guilty.
Newsroom (04/12/2022 1:55, Gaudium Press) On trial since March 21, Harbi Ali was found guilty of murdering Catholic MP David Amess in October 2021 and organizing terrorist acts.
The jury took only 18 minutes to declare its decision. During the verdict reading, the accused did not stand up, citing religious reasons. The sentence is expected to be known next Wednesday.
Plotting terrorist acts
Ali Harbi Ali, 26, is a British citizen of Somali origin born in north London. He was arrested at the scene of the crime.
Considered by his classmates as an exemplary student, in 2014, he became radicalized in Islam, dropped out of medical university and considered joining the Islamic State in Syria.
Harbi Ali was also tried for the preparation of terrorist acts between May 1, 2019, and September 28, 2021. The prosecutor labelled him a “fanatical and radicalized Islamic terrorist.”
Planned assassination
Harbi stated he learned about the meeting between Amess with constituents through a tweet and met the parliamentarian posing as a person from the Health Service.
The killer stated that he wanted to stop Amess from harming Muslims and did not regret the murder. He had also planned to attack other parliamentarians who approved of bombing Syria.
David Amess, Catholic MP
David Amess, a Catholic and Conservative Party MP, was stabbed about 20 times in Belfairs Methodist Church in Essex on October 15, 2021. Rescued immediately, paramedics tried to revive him for more than two hours.
Amess had been an MP since 1983 and was known for championing the provost cause. He set up a group within Parliament to strengthen relations with the Holy See in 2006 and was one of the key figures organizing Benedict XVI’s visit to Parliament in 2010.
On April 11, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, wrote on his Twitter account a tribute to Amess:
“Sir David Amess was a dear colleague, civil servant and friend who stood up for the City of Southend in everything he did. My thoughts today remain with Julia, the Amess family and all those who knew and loved him.” (FM)
Compiled by Gustavo Kralj