The trial of a 26-year-old man accused of fatally stabbing British MP David Amess in October, an attack that shocked the United Kingdom and prompted calls to strengthen the security of politicians, began Monday in London.
The defendant, Ali Harbi Ali, described by the prosecutor as a “fanatical and radicalized Islamist”, pleaded not guilty to murder and preparation of terrorist acts.
The trial will be held for three weeks in the London criminal court, where the defendant appeared on Monday dressed in dark attire and black-rimmed glasses.
Ali Harbi Ali is accused of stabbing Amess, a 69-year-old Conservative MP and father of five children, to death when on October 15 he was meeting with his constituents at a Methodist church in Leigh-on-Sea, some 60 km east of London.
“It was a terrorist-motivated murder,” said prosecutor Tom Little.
The accused is also charged with preparing acts of terrorism between May 1, 2019 and September 28, 2021.
Ali Harbi Ali was born and raised in London in a family of Somali origin. According to the British media, he had briefly completed an anti-radicalisation programme, but the security services did not consider him a person at risk.
According to the prosecutor, he had been “determined for several years to carry out an act of terrorism” on British soil.
Since May 2019, he has been conducting investigations to attack members of Parliament. He had conducted examinations near the parliamentary office of another deputy and the home of Minister Michael Gove.
After stabbing Amess, the defendant said “I killed him, I killed him” and warned two witnesses, who were arriving for the next appointment, not to approach or he would stab them in turn and that if the deputy was not dead, he would “end him”.
He then justified his action in response to “Syria”, “the innocent”, “the bombings”.
Refusing to drop the knife, he said he wanted to be killed, “die” and “be a hero,” according to the prosecution.
The United Kingdom has been the scene of several jihadist knife attacks in recent years, some claimed by the Islamist group Islamic State (IS). There was no claim to the murder of Amess.
spe-acc/mb
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