Ali Harbi Ali, 26, said he killed the conservative politician because he had voted in favor of airstrikes against Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. From May 2019 he planned to assassinate an MP, investigating other possible targets, such as Michael Gove, Conservative Mike Freer and Labor leader Sir Kir Starmer. A court has convicted Ali of murder and plotting terrorist acts after a 20-minute debate Monday. Judge Sweeney said he would be sentenced in Old Bailey on Wednesday. Following the verdict, the Prime Minister said: “Sir David Amess was a beloved colleague, civil servant and friend who defended the city of Southend in everything he did. “My thoughts today remain with me [his wife] “Julia, the Amess family and everyone who knew and loved him.” The court heard that Ali had falsely posed as a resident of Sir David’s Southend-on-Sea constituency in order to secure an appointment at an operating room on October 15. Ali sent a lengthy WhatsApp message to his contacts, claiming that he had carried out an attack to “avenge” those killed in air strikes on Islamic State-controlled territories. Noting that he was busy on his phone, Sir David asked him if he was recording the meeting, but Ali said he was not and started talking to him about politics after the Iraq war. He started the attack with a knife as his phone started ringing, stabbing the father of five more than 20 times and then blocking passers-by from going to help him. Ali told police that the killing was a terrorist attack, adding: “I went to a deputy’s operating room and killed him, with the idea of revenge.” Defendant later denied the charges of murder and plotting terrorist acts, forcing a trial in Old Bailey that was delayed after jurors and a judge caught Covid. Ali did not show remorse and told the court that he regretted “nothing” while testifying, adding: “I would not use the word shameless, but I do not feel any shame.” He told police he had “radicalized” around 2014 and abandoned his ambitions to become a doctor after becoming obsessed with the Syrian civil war and Islamic State. Ali Harbi Ali has been taken into custody following his arrest as a suspect in the murder of Sir David Amess (PA Media) Prosecutor Tom Little QC described him as “cool, calm and focused” and said he had the “same smile” strongly described by witnesses on the day of the murder in the witness box. “He was smiling and almost enjoying living again and explaining what he intended to do and what he had done – enjoying his terrorist acts,” he added. Mr Little said the killing was carried out “because of a perverted and perverted and violent ideology” and that Sir David was “just doing his job helping members of the public” when he was brutally killed. The court heard that Ali had carried the knife used five years before the assassination, when the would-be terrorist had already decided that if he could not join the Islamic State in Syria, he would attack the United Kingdom. At least since May 2019, he has been investigating and planning possible attacks on MPs, focusing briefly on Michael Gove, searching his home and drawing up a “plan” document on how he could capture the minister. Ali abandoned the plan after discovering Mr Gove had moved into a house after his divorce, but was also out of surgery in a London constituency by Conservative MP Mike Frier. Evidence showed that Ali had made at least seven reconnaissance visits to the parliament buildings, but told police he abandoned the idea of carrying out an attack there because the building was guarded by police “armed to the teeth”. Sir David Amess was stabbed more than 20 times by Ali (PA Media) The court heard that he found the details of Sir David’s surgery in the constituency on Twitter and decided to travel there from his home in Kentish Town, north London. “I want him dead,” a witness heard him say at the scene of the murder. “I want to kill every member of parliament who signed the bombing of Syria that agreed to the war in Iraq.” While testifying at his trial, Ali said he believed Sir David deserved to die and did not regret his actions. He said he wanted to influence other lawmakers who had supported the same votes in the 2014 and 2015 airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, and sought to argue that he was defending the global Muslim community. Justice Sweeney gave legal instructions to jurors, saying Ali had no legal defense against “self-defense, legal defense of another, or lawful prevention of crime.” Chief Detective Dominic Murphy of the Metropolitan Police Counter-Terrorism Administration described Sir David as a “dedicated civil servant who was respected and admired by everyone in his local community and among his peers.” “His absurd murder shocked and frightened the nation,” he added. “Sir David’s family has been completely devastated, but he has shown remarkable courage and dignity throughout the investigation and this trial.” Det Ch Supt Murphy hailed the bravery of the unarmed Essex police officers who confronted Ali and the passers-by who tried to help Sir David.
