British MP David Amess dies after being stabbed in southeastern England
David Amess was honored at a mass at St Peter’s Catholic Church in Essex.
Photo: Dan Kitwood / Getty Images
David Amess, a member of the British Parliament, died on Friday after being stabbed during a ceremony in Essex, in the south-east of the United Kingdom.
Aged 68, a Conservative Party MP, Amess was participating in a meeting with constituents from his constituency at Belfairs Methodist Church.
Essex police and medical teams came to the scene after reporting the stabbing, which occurred in the town of Leigh-on-Sea at 12:05 local time (11:05 GMT).
Amess was treated by emergency services, but eventually died of his injuries.
The suspect, a young man of 25 years, it was arrested and the police picked up the knife with which the crime was committed.
The individual was taken into police custody on suspicion of murder and no one else is wanted in connection with the attack.
A government source told the BBC that he is a British citizen who, according to initial investigations, is of Somali descent.
Interior Minister Priti Patel asked all police forces to review “with immediate effect” the security protocols for parliamentarians “with immediate effect.”
In 2016, Labor MP Jo Cox also died in similar circumstances. She was stabbed and shot in broad daylight in Birstall, West Yorkshire, in northern England.
What is known of the attack?
The attack occurred at the Belfairs Methodist Church, on Eastwood Road North, east London, when Amess attended a meeting with citizens of his constituency.
The attack occurred at the Belfairs Methodist Church, on Eastwood Road North, east London, when Amess attended a meeting with citizens of his constituency.
Essex Police Chief Ben-Julian Harrington said they received reports of a stabbing shortly after noon and within minutes, officers found the deputy with multiple injuries.
Police and paramedics They “worked very hard” to save him, but he died on the spotHarrington said.
Police asked that anyone who saw the attack or who has images contact them.
The investigation of the attack will be in charge of the Antiterrorist Command, a specialized unit of the Metropolitan Police which will determine if it was a terrorist incident.
Amess had been a member of Parliament since 1983. He was married with five children.
The government in mourning
Reactions to the incident have not been long.
Several politicians have condemned the attack on Amess, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has suspended a meeting with his ministers.
Johnson said Amess had an “extraordinary record of passing laws to help the most vulnerable“.
“David was a man who passionately believed in this country and its future. Today we have lost a good official and a very dear friend and colleague ”, he added.
The British flag has been placed at half mast in Downing Street, the seat of government.
Ian Duncam, former leader of the Conservative Party, wrote on Twitter: “This aggressive and violent behavior cannot be tolerated in politics nor in any other aspect of life ”.
Keir Starmer, opposition leader of the Labor Party, expressed his “horror” and “dismay” at the news.
The Mayor of London, also Labor Sadiq Khan, showed his solidarity with “the family and staff” of Amess “at this difficult time.”
And the priest Jeff Woolnough, pastor of the nearby Catholic Church of St Peter where the politician attended, told the BBC: “Sir David was a great, great man, a good Catholic and a friend to all.”
“He died doing that, that’s the extraordinary thing. He died serving the people ”.
Conservative Party Veteran
Amess was one of the oldest MPs in the House of Commons, where he had held a seat since 1983.
Eurosceptic, on its official website highlighted that its main areas of interest in politics were “animal welfare” and “pro-life” measures.
One of the proudest achievements in his career was the approval in 1988 of a law against cruelty in the treatment of animals, which required farmers to avoid the “unnecessary suffering” of the beasts.
It also had a relevant role in the approval in 2000 of legislation against energy poverty, which allowed the number of households that could not afford energy bills in the UK to rise from 5.1 million in 1996 to 1.2 million eight years later.
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